The Bad Vampires Handbook
by maxigrumpling
Summary: Turned by accident, nerdy loner Eddie faints at the sight of blood and wakes, often, at the morgue. There's no handbook for what he's become. When the Cullen's discover him he needs a total vampire makeover and the OCD, hypochondria and his image of what he is all have to go. Bella is given the task of educating him. She thinks he's a joke, but likes the glasses. E/B HEA assured.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I've borrowed her characters for a bit. I will give them back at the end. **

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There is a town in Washington called Forks. It's dark, rainy, freezing and gloomy for eight months of the year and those are known as 'summer'. The other four months it's covered in snow.

Regular people live there. There's a vet who'll come to your house and install a cone on your dogs head on a Sunday and a pizza delivery kid who'll call you sir or ma'am because he's known you since birth. There are teenagers there who've known each other since they shared cribs beside one another at the tiny hospital. There is the obligatory nosy neighbour and the gaggle of gossiping women who take their precious babies to the elementary school in a bathrobe and slippers who'll stop to fill you in on what they saw 'in the street' last night. You can get coffee in one of two places, your kitchen or the diner. The grocery store doubles as the DVD rental outlet and the post office will handle your dry cleaning and your tax return. There is one bar and it doesn't serve food. There is one gas station and it's manned night and day by guys who will wash your windshield while they're waiting for the pump to finish filling your car.

People didn't normally move _to_ Forks from other places. People were born in Forks and died in Forks. Sometimes they'd move away for college but most returned. Sometimes they came for jobs or for a change of pace, but most left again as soon as the fascination faded. The population hadn't shifted more than a dozen in either direction in decades.

That was why the Cullen's were such an enigma. They moved to Forks on purpose. Doctor and Missus Cullen and their five children came to Forks and took up residence on the outskirts of the forest. They were very quiet, polite people who kept to themselves and were productive if somewhat illusive citizens.

The good doctor took over from the ailing Doctor Grieves when he retired and bought his teenaged family with him. Missus Cullen was a housewife, as so many in the area were, and was known to be a very caring and motherly sort. She baked pies for stalls and raised money for the children's ward at her husband's hospital.

Their children, all adopted so the resident nosy neighbour had told anyone who would listen, were all young adults with impeccable manners and almost perfect grade point averages. The oldest pair were attending community colleges in Port Angeles, the younger pair were seniors at Forks High and the middle child was taking a gap year between finishing high school and beginning college the following year.

The locals didn't know why a doctor of such reputation would choose their little town but they were very pleased that he had. The family had taken to small town life and the small town had taken to them.

They would need to stay another two decades before being known as locals themselves but they seemed quite willing to do so.

In stark contrast was the Masen family, also of Forks.

The Masens lived in town, two streets over from the High School and one back from the cemetery and this family had lived there for forty years.

The late Mr Masen, Edward Senior, had passed on some fifteen years ago and had left behind a wife Agnes and a twelve year old son, Edward Junior who went by the name Eddie or Ed.

Had Agnes been born fifty years earlier she would have been thought of as robust. Unfortunately Agnes wasn't born fifty years earlier and she was described by her peers as rotund and quite severe.

A lot of ladies would've been horrified to learn that they were seen that way, but not to Agnes Masen. Not a day in her life did she spare a thought for who might think what of her. As her mother before her Agnes spent her life making sure that Edward Senior had his meatloaf on the table at six sharp and that the creases in his trousers could've induced a paper cut. She kept a meticulously clean home, was grateful for his labour and loved their son. Married at the rather respectable age of twenty-eight Agnes set about making a life for the two of them. Edward Senior set about paying for that life. Never a needlessly wanting wife Edward Seniors rise through the ranks of the tax department could have afforded them some luxuries, but Agnes much preferred to cut her cloth from a less expensive bolt. After six years of trying the happy couple finally welcomed a son, who bore his father's name, and Agnes was content. Eddie was not joined by a sibling, though not for lack of trying on his parent's behalf, and when it became clear that they were not likely to be blessed by the stork a second time Agnes knuckled down and made the best of her situation.

She doted on the boy and did her best to be everything that he needed. Mother, friend, confidante and playmate. This removed the need for a young Eddie to step outside his own home for social interaction and fed his parentally instilled view that the world was a scary unfeeling place that he should avoid.

Cosseted and cloistered inside his familial home Eddie was brought up in an unrealistic, germ and affection free environment. Never realising that his peers lived differently Eddie missed or ignored the signs and against all odds thrived sheltered by his parents, and after his father's death exclusively by this mother.

This was not done consciously. Edward Senior and his bride never set out with the view to isolating their only child. They were both so happy to just be together that none of them ever needed anyone or anything else.

When Edward Senior passed away the equilibrium inside the Masen home didn't shift one degree in either direction. Agnes took on the roles Edward Senior had vacated and within days the natural order of the house was restored. Edward Senior had provided well for his family, and with the natural frugality of Agnes, the two remaining Masens had a quite comfortable life without their bread winner.

Rumour and conjecture surrounded Edward Seniors early demise but the truth was simple. He'd died at his desk of a massive boredom induced heart attack. Ed Junior had never fully believed the findings of the county coroner and still held onto the belief that his father – a veteran tax inspector with twenty unfulfilling years service under his belt at the time of his death – had been 'rubbed out' by government officials for some as yet unexplained discrepancy that was still trapped within his bookkeeping. Ed Junior was currently researching his latest theory regarding the untimely demise of his father. His newest exploration had led him to the rather ridiculous conclusion that his father's artificial sweetener, taken with his morning coffee at the office, had been switched out for anthrax. There was no evidence to prove such a conclusion but Ed Junior was never one to rely on fact alone.

Always a serious student and perfectionist the passing of his father left Eddie with many phobias, not the least of which was an irrational fear of blood. He'd never laid eyes on the deceased body of his father, nor had there been any blood present had he seen it, but the phobia presented itself within hours of the announcement of the death.

At first any contact with blood would merely induce a panic attack complete with imaginary constriction of the chest and a false belief that he himself was dying but as time progressed Eddie began to faint if he was even in the presence of the life sustaining substance. This, in and of itself, was quite a prevalent phobia to have amongst the general public and on its own would've presented a man who worked in a library with no real need to change his lifestyle.

But when this phobia began to be coupled with rampant hypochondria, a rather bad case of OCD and a penchant for pedantics it posed quite the social problem for Eddie.

At twenty-seven Eddie was still the bookworm he'd been in high school and he was also just as socially awkward. A natural loner the solitary life of the only archivist in the Port Angeles Municipal Library suited him just fine. He could spend his entire work day never having to come into contact with another human being. Annoyed by the slack borrowing habits of the Google generation and an almost nonexistent budget for classics his days were filled with repairing and restoring the great works of literature that tended to sit idle for decades on the shelves. Frustrated at never being asked to purchase staples like dictionaries, encyclopaedia and nonfiction texts he staged a silent protest of his very own by not bothering to actually order any of the 'drivel' requested by the few patrons who remained loyal to the institution. Eddie considered the long-haired, bare-chested heroes of popular modern fiction to be a waste of the printed word and stubbornly refused to use his appallingly small budget acquiring them. This caused many a row with the head librarian but without anyone else interested in locking themselves away in the back storeroom day in and day out she was loathe to press him too stridently. Losing him as an employee would mean having to draw up a roster for his duties and she knew, without asking, that there would be a mutiny of biblical proportions if the inside staff were forced to do his job.

So Eddie stayed in the storeroom and the patrons went without their cheap and nasty bodice rippers.

His tendency toward OCD was actually a plus as far as his work life went. His system of cataloguing and codification was understood by no one other than Eddie and he liked it that way. He knew where every book was and he knew when he'd put it there.

Being also naturally pedantic was a boon for his career too. It wasn't unusual to find Eddie in his beloved storeroom, ruler in hand, checking that his shelving was symmetrical. Many an hour was spent realigning the spines of periodicals or arranging them by genre then year of publication followed by their relevance to the title on either side. It was a system he'd designed himself and it pleased him that had anyone gone rootling through his shelves they'd never find what they were searching for. To his knowledge nobody had ever tried it.

What didn't suit his choice of employment was the hypochondria. Dust was the bane of his existence and unfortunately for Eddie where there were books there was dust. And moths and silverfish and the smell of soiled paper.

At his insistence a wash basin and an electronic liquid soap dispenser had been installed in the storeroom but he could often be heard cursing the moths as they fluttered about. His aversion to pesticides meant he could not dispense with them en masse and there was no way he'd ever swat them. So the moths, and the silverfish stayed and Eddie got twitchier as the years went on.

Eddie had never had a girlfriend, or known a female other than as a classmate or colleague and he didn't think that was out of the ordinary at all. But, he'd never known a male as a friend either. He'd never confided in anyone other than his mother and he'd never invited anyone to his home or been invited to anyone else's. His truly was a solitary existence. At work he was alone and at home he had his mother.

His world was totally insulated from any other human contact and devoid of any other opinion or input other than his mothers.

He kept abreast of the news by reading the morning paper from cover to cover before he left for work and he used enormous history tomes as light reading at home. If he'd been born in 1901 he'd have fit right in. But in 2013 he was seen as odd, very odd.

Not exactly excluded by his peers he was destined to live on the fringes of what could've been, and should've been, a perfectly normal teenage social life. He was asked to join in and he was invited to games and parties as he got a little older. But Eddie didn't _need_ the company of his peers whilst he had Agnes and so while he always thanked whoever had extended the invitation, he always turned it down. By the time he was a senior his peers had stopped extending the invitations. And, as has been the case his whole life, Eddie didn't notice.

You may be wondering how these two families are connected, and I can assure you that when the Cullen's first moved to Forks the link was tenuous at best. The two families lived six miles apart and that was the only thing they had in common. The town.

But, as these things go, the two families were on a collision course.

Doctor Carlisle Cullen was not at his post inside the Forks Community Hospital when a call came from paramedics that two bodies had been discovered inside the Masen residence.

It was _not_ Doctor Carlisle Cullen who took delivery of the bodies at the morgue that day.

It was _not_ Doctor Carlisle Cullen who pronounced both Edward Masen Junior and Missus Agnes Masen deceased.

Therefore it wasn't Doctor Carlisle Cullen, a vampire in his own right that could've explained to Eddie that he wasn't actually dead.

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**A/N: Hello beautiful people. Another shortish story for you from the weirdness that is my head. **

**This is my first crack at a fic that is from nobody in particulars point of view. It's been challenging so far. **

**Similar vampire rules apply to this as with Fifty-six. **

**- No mind reading, no empaths, no 'seeing' shit for Alice. **

**-The Cullen family make up remains true. Carlisle/Esme, Emmett/Rose, Alice/Jasper. Bella is the loan vampire this time. She was changed 14 years ago and at the time of writing she has control over her thirst. **

**- No Volturi - Loyalists will know they scare me. **

**- No wolves, ever. **

**- Jake's days are numbered. So if you are a Jacob fan and cannot handle him being a moron/bad guy/collateral damage then I suggest you move along people. Nothing to see here. **

**For this Edward think Daniel Gale in the Bad Mothers Handbook. If you don't know it, shame on you :)**

**Thank you for reading.**

**Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The response ****to the first chapter** has been wonderfully encouraging. This next one is a little more detailed, and a little less amusing imo, but it is also necessary. Get through this and we'll have some fun with B/E.

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The events that put the Cullen's in the path of the Masens were entirely random. There was no plan, no design and definitely no premeditation. Pure coincidence set the wheels in motion.

It had been an ordinary day for Eddie. He ate his high fibre cereal at the kitchen table while he read the papers. His mother fussed over his jacket and tie at the door. He drove to the library and immersed himself in his beloved books just as he had every other day of every other year.

His return to his home was uneventful too. Agnes was there waiting when he returned, as she always was. She listened patiently while Eddie bemoaned the 'cretinous teenagers' who had left unseemly stains inside the periodicals and she nodded and smiled in the correct places as he described a new history text he'd managed to acquire within the budget.

His dinner was placed in front of him and the two sat and chatted amiably as they consumed the meal.

As was custom, at the end of the meal, Eddie went to shower and Agnes did the dishes.

Eddie brushed his teeth three times, washed his hands four times and then flossed, twice. He took his own blood pressure, counted his heart rate and checked his body for any suspicious marks, bruises or moles and then he wrote his findings in his little notepad that hung from a length of string by the side of the vanity. His pyjamas and robe were folded neatly, by Agnes that morning and sitting right where they always were on the chair in his bedroom.

They met again in the living room to watch the evening news then Eddie kissed his mother and wished her a good night's sleep. He retreated to his bedroom and lost himself in whatever historical volume he was digesting at the time. Later, at the regular preordained time his mother shuffled down the hall and went into her own bedroom, signalling that her evening was over. And then Eddie went through his nightly routines.

The three locks on the front door were tested to ensure they were in good working order. He spent the usual amount of time lining up the keys to those locks on the console table by the door and he turned off the lights as he moved toward the back of the house. The same rigmarole was carried out at the backdoor and soon the Masen house was quiet and dark as both its occupants moved toward sleep.

At eight minutes to three the next morning, unheard by either occupant, a shadow passed by the backdoor. A soft tinkling of broken glass was followed by the opening of Agnes' bedroom window. The shadow, being careful to remain just a shadow, moved through the house with practised ease. He opened drawers and rifled through papers. He pocketed the twelve dollars in the jar marked 'cookies' on the kitchen counter and he slipped Edward Seniors gold watch into his other pocket when he returned to Agnes' bedroom to make his escape.

Had he managed his get away without waking Agnes this story could end here and the breaking and entering of the Masen household could remain just another statistic of petty crime in Washington.

But, as these things go, his escape wasn't quiet and it wasn't easy.

Agnes had stirred with the tinkling of the glass but had woken fully as the lid of her jewellery box had been opened. She knew that sound even now, fifteen years since Edward Seniors passing. He had always lifted that lid and placed his watch onto the velvet shelf inside it as the last thing he'd do before retiring to bed and Agnes knew the sound for what it was.

She was sitting bolt upright, covers up to her chin, when the shadow turned to make his way back out through the bedroom window. "Go back to sleep, lady," the shadow hissed at the stricken woman.

But Agnes was made of sterner stuff and she leapt from the bed and charged at the shadow. It was a brief encounter. Agnes, rotund and robust as she was, was no match for the shadow and with one quick shove Agnes was lying on her bedroom carpet, bleeding steadily from a gash at the back of her head where she'd struck Edward Seniors nightstand.

The shadow fled back out through the window and never looked back.

The sound of his mother falling to the floor was what woke Eddie, not the breaking glass or the hurried words of a desperate shadow. It took him a few seconds to locate his glasses, and to slip into his robe and slippers, and then he padded across the hall to check on his mother. He found her, right where she'd fallen. A thick stain had begun to spread outwards from where her head rested on his father's tartan slipper.

He knelt over her prone body and gasped his anguish.

When the scent of the blood in the room hit his nostrils his head began to swim. He used his palms to steady himself and managed to get to his feet, and move away from his mothers ebbing lifeblood, before collapsing to the floor himself.

Had Eddie managed to raise the alarm for help before fainting they both may have survived. But phobias are funny things. They manifest themselves on the unsuspecting and they stay with them long after the danger has passed.

Now, if things in the universe were fair and just, Eddie may have just laid there for a few hours until he regained consciousness. Agnes may have held on long enough for Eddie to duly raise the alarm and although very badly hurt she may have survived to see her son make something of himself.

But the universe isn't fair and it's definitely not just and so Agnes Masen passed away quietly there on the floor of her marital home with her head resting on her beloved husband's tartan slipper, and with her beloved son unconscious beside her.

That would've been the end of it. Eddie would've woken to find his mother now deceased; he would've inherited his family home and continued on his way with his work and his research. He would've grieved for the loss of his beloved mother and he would've done his best to make his way in the world.

But fate had another surprise in store for Eddie. Destiny was playing karmic twister with coincidence that night and destiny is a very, very bad loser.

The blood on the carpet attracted a predator. A cold, unfeeling predator drawn to the scent of fresh, newly spilled blood. Called by the need for it he entered through the still open window the shadow had used to enter then escape. He moved across Agnes' rapidly cooling body, sniffed and grimaced. With the heart of the woman no longer beating the corpse held no further fascination for this predator.

Instead the predator turned his attention to the prone body lying to the side of the corpse. This one was still breathing, though quite obviously unconscious.

The erratic thump, thump, thump of this bodies heartbeat made the predator delirious with joy.

The predator sniffed this body and smiled to himself. Dinner and a show he thought as he bent his head towards Eddie. With a tiny flick of his tongue the predator brought forth venom into his mouth and as he made two tiny puncture wounds in Eddie's neck that venom began to replace the blood in Eddie's system.

The more deeply the predator drank the more venom began making its way toward Eddie's heart and brain and as the predator stood and wiped his lips Eddie's heart began to pound its unhappiness at this new intruder.

The predator went the way the shadow had done before him. He slipped back through the open window and away into the night without a thought for what he'd done or what he'd left behind.

Recognising what a bad sport it had been Destiny decided to right a wrong that night. Instead of Eddie passing away quietly beside his mother, Destiny kept Eddie's heart beating long enough for the venom to assert its dominance over the miniscule amount of blood left in his body. Within minutes of the predators withdrawal Eddie Masen began a change that would alter his course forever.

And forever is a very, very long time.

At the same time as Destiny and Fate were having their epic battle in the Masen household the Cullen's were settling down for the night.

The presence of the predator was worrying to them. They knew of him and they knew he'd been in the area for a few days but were powerless to get him to move on. He had a right to hunt where he pleased, just as the Cullen's did, even if they were loathe to hunt as the predator preferred. No. The life of a lone predator did not suit the Cullen's.

They shared the same DNA as the predator and each of them, barring the good doctor, had at some point in their lengthy existence indulged just as the predator had done in the Masen house.

The predator was a vampire. And not a good one, if such a thing was indeed possible. The Cullen family did believe in the possibility of good and bad vampires. For they were vampires too. Each of them had been bitten just as Eddie had been, and each of them had craved blood ever since. But, the Cullen's were different from their brethren. They didn't kill indiscriminately; in fact they didn't kill at all. Not humans anyway. They hunted animals, and only animals.

This set them apart from their kin in that this choice allowed them to retain parts of their former humanity. Compassion for all life, a responsibility for the safety of the humans they lived amongst and a family philosophy that was based on respect and tolerance.

The proximity to the forest was why the Cullen's had chosen the house in Forks. The abundance of roe deer, fat juicy bobcats and lively herds of mule deer ran freely around and through their land. The distance from the town itself provided some measure of security in that a vampire hunting animals that smells a human will switch its interest involuntarily.

Living amongst humans was one thing, hunting near them was quite another and not something even the most practised, well fed or controlled vampire could achieve.

On the evening that Eddie Masen's human life came to its end the Cullen family of vampires was holed up in their home. The three pairs of mates – it is widely recognised that vampires mated for life – silently indulging their need for closeness with their mates. The lone female, Isabella, was alone in her room high up on the third floor and desperately trying to concentrate on the music emanating from her iPod headphones.

Above the cacophony of Beyonce screeching through a pop song Isabella, or Bella as she preferred, could hear the whine of sirens. Off in the distance, above the din in the headphones, she could make out the sound of a police car as it charged along in search of some bad guy or another.

The insistent peal of the sirens was infinitely better than listening to the grunting, rutting couples in the Cullen house. With exceptional hearing – far and above what a human could hear – and a nose so keen they could smell a Townsend mole digging its way through a disgruntled homeowner's lawn ten miles away, it was virtually impossible to distance oneself from the sounds and scents of passion in all its forms being conducted just one floor down.

Bella isn't lonely or resentful of her family's happiness; in fact she rather thinks they are quite odd. Having never been in love as a human, and obviously not as a vampire, she simply cannot understand why anyone would want to tether themselves to another so tightly as marriage insisted.

And her 'parents' and 'siblings' were married. Both in the traditional way and by the way they'd chosen to be bonded to their mates. It was a concept that had never interested Bella. Much better to move through her life as a single entity, answering to no one. Much simpler to please only herself.

As a human she'd been a strong willed girl. She'd excelled at school and was both popular and well respected. Not always two qualities that went hand in hand in American high schools. But Bella managed to pull it off by being kind to everyone. Jocks and freaks, cheerleaders and the bookworms alike, Bella liked everyone and was liked by everyone in return.

She was, in personality, the direct opposite of Eddie Masen. But they had similarities too. Bella didn't need constant attention from peers or the gratification that could be found in someone's arms either. No, Bella was as self contained as Eddie had always been, minus the strange anti social behaviour he learned from his parents.

They had a shared loved of books, though Eddie took his reading far more seriously than Bella ever had or would. Bella would devour – pardon the pun – anything and everything with the printed word on it. Newspapers, magazines, novels and nonfiction held her attention in all their forms. And just like Eddie, once the night closed in and the family had retreated to their own spaces Bella delved into her book and shut them all out.

Turned at twenty-one by Esme Cullen herself Bella had found herself a new vampire living amongst a family with siblings for the very first time. An only child, like Eddie, she'd grown up the daughter of perfectly normal parents. The circumstances behind her own transformation were in stark contrast to those that now surrounded Eddie's.

Bella had grown up in Oregon, the only child of Charlie Swan. Charlie doted on Bella and maybe spoiled her just a little to make up for the fact that her mother had run off – never to return – before Bella had even had a chance to get to know her.

Charlie Swan was a police officer and did his best to raise Bella to be a well educated and well rounded individual. He succeeded and was exceedingly proud of his little girl.

Charlie's friends, the Cullen's with whom he'd had a lot of contact because of a support group for single fathers run at the hospital, were there to see his beloved only daughter graduate from high school. They were there when her acceptance letter to Oregon State arrived and they were there when she tearfully drove off and left her stony faced dad in the driveway when she moved into campus accommodation.

It was Esme Cullen who promised Charlie that if anything should ever happen to him that his only child would never be left alone and because of that promise it was Esme Cullen who drove to campus to deliver the awful news to Bella two years later.

Charlie was killed on duty, shot by a thug as he tried to run after holding up a gas station, and at eighteen Bella found herself on her own for the first time in her life. Her father had died a hero and his pension would see out her tuition costs but it was the loss of her only parent that consumed Bella from then on.

She opted out of the final semester that year and instead she moved back to her family home and moped. Carlisle and Esme, and their adoptive children, kept a close eye on the girl but were unable to bring her out of the dark gloom of loss.

Hiding indoors wrapped in her grief Bella went through her father's things and as she stood in front of the tiny mirrored vanity in his bathroom and stared at the rows of orange bottles she knew what she would do and who she would tell goodbye. As she swallowed the last three pills from the little bottle it was Esme Cullen she called to say goodbye.

Unable to wait to page her husband Esme had run the four miles to the Swan residence and had busted in the backdoor without a thought for anything other than the poor, broken little girl inside. She found Bella slumped on the tiled floor of the bathroom, thin white foam trickling from the corner of her mouth.

She was minutes from death. Her organs had already begun shutting down – hence the foam at her mouth – and although Esme had never changed anyone she knew immediately that she would try.

Esme turned Bella Swan into a vampire right there on the bathroom floor. Bella woke a few days later in the arms of her new mother and with her new family smiling down at her from where she lay on the bed in her new room. She hadn't looked back since.

Oh sure, physically she'd survived the attempt but mentally she was not at all healthy. Battling a thirst she didn't understand, trying to rationalise what she now knew the Cullen's to be and trying to come to terms that she was now a vampire herself didn't help.

It took three years of intense therapy and the love of the Cullen family but Bella did recover mentally and she did overcome her thirst, just as Carlisle had promised she would. Since then she'd never looked back. She finished her degree in English Literature and another in Comparative Literature. She attended whatever high school her siblings attended as the family moved from place to place and she became at peace with what and who she was, eventually.

As a person she was self contained, articulate and fun loving. As a vampire she was proud, content and utterly lethal.

On the night the lives of the Masens took their awful turn Bella followed her usual routine just as Eddie did. There was no unusual sound to alert anyone in the Cullen house that the predator had struck and there was nothing to warn the residents of Forks that there was someone lurking in shadows.

The usual number of teenagers got drunk and threw up in rose bushes on their way home. The regular number of residents ordered Chinese take out and the ordinary number of patients presented themselves in the emergency department to have limbs set and peas retrieved from their noses.

And so it was a regular night for Bella Cullen. Curled up on her bed on the third floor with her iPod headphones pressed firmly into her ears she read yet another bodice ripper and tried to block out the sounds of the sirens.

There was nothing that any of the Cullen's thought out of the ordinary the following day either. Carlisle went to work, the children went to school and Bella baked with Esme in the house way out in the forest.

Eddie and Agnes lay on the floor in the rear bedroom. Silent. Deceased. And nobody missed their presence.

Another day passed and again the Cullen's went out their usual business unaware that the Masens were about to invade their carefully constructed existence.

It would be three full days before the bodies in the Masen household were discovered, and even that would be by chance.

Living such an insular existence meant it wasn't until Eddie failed to show up for work for a third day that the head librarian began to worry. Such was his insignificance to anyone it was only the thought that he may have decided to quit that worried his boss. She never considered that something catastrophic may have occurred. Her main concern was who she could coerce to fill his shoes if he'd quit.

She left three messages on Eddie's cell phone and one on the house phone before midday on that third day. At two in the afternoon when she'd had no response to any of those messages she went into his storeroom to search for any clue as to where he could be and why. Apart from a jotted down note to himself not to forget to confirm a delivery of a shipment of books there was nothing to see. His books were immaculate. His desk surface clear and highly polished. His bleakly empty calendar pinned to the wall gave her no clue where he'd gone or why.

A quick whip around to ask the other staff if they knew anything and she decided to call the police. It just wasn't like Eddie to not show up. In the years he'd worked there he'd only ever had two days off, one for his father's funeral and another to attend a regional symposium for the library.

These details were dutifully noted by the kind police officer Eddie's boss contacted and within the hour he promised to send a squad car to the Masen residence to check that everything was okay.

Of course it wasn't and the stench emanating from the rear bedroom alerted the two patrol officers to that fact way before the paramedics were called. It was futile, of course. Agnes was no longer robust and whilst Eddie looked just as he had always looked – although he was now stone cold and his skin had taken on a marble like tinge - it was quite obvious that they were both deceased.

Zippered into two black industrial strength body bags what was left of the Masen family was loaded into the back of an ambulance and taken to the morgue there.

A sombre investigation began as the mother and son were driven away from the house. It didn't take long to piece together what had happened to Agnes, but what had happened to Eddie was a mystery the officers couldn't unravel without a medical explanation.

At the morgue the injury to Agnes was both evident and horrific enough to explain her death. There was nothing to explain Eddie's.

As both bodies were placed into side by side stainless steel drawers in the chiller unit of the morgue a technician was writing and signing the coroners request for an autopsy on the male and a toxicology screening on the female.

Eddie woke a vampire and he woke confused, confined and hungry.

If only Carlisle Cullen had been on duty, but Destiny had lost a game of Uno with Fate that day and wasn't in a just kind of mood. Karma was in Barbados making sure a loan shark of dubious intent met a real live shark.

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**A/N: Thank you for reading.**

**Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

The chiller unit was, predictably, very cold. Designed to enclose its contents without deterioration it was supposed to be freezing and it did for Agnes what it was invented to do.

What it did to Eddie was frighten him.

He woke with a start. All his senses began firing at once and it shocked and frightened him more than he already was. Waking from a dream state, or a deep relaxing sleep, was one thing but waking with no recollection of who or what you were was quite the ordeal for someone who had never been mentally strong in the first place.

So when he came to his newly reconfigured vampire brain began to fire on all cylinders. Imagine that you're quite happy working away on your Remington 'sit up and beg' typewriter and the next second you've blinked and you're faced with a modern day supercomputer using Windows 7 and its modem is happily sucking down information at eighteen megabytes per second. That's how Eddie's cavernous mind woke.

As a way to keep at bay his initial panic Eddie took inventory. He wiggled his toes, check. He flexed his fingers, tested his teeth with his tongue and craned his neck, check, check and check. And even though he was socially repressed he did what any man would do and cupped his junk firmly. Check, check and check.

Everything seemed to be where it should be but he could not explain where he was and why he was encased in something black and made of rubberised polymer.

It was dark inside it but he could see perfectly the zipper that ran down his face and disappeared into the black gloom near his feet.

He could hear, too. Running water through pipe work, the grinding of metal somewhere and heart beats. Lots and lots of heart beats. Conversations were being conducted both close to hand and further away and he could make out the tones and pitches of every single one of them. There were two males quite close who were mumbling about 'malpractice insurance premiums skyrocketing' and 'was there any way to blame the cock up on Jared the new intern who Dr Shaw had caught, in a supply closet, frantically fingering the nurse he himself had a crush on'?

There was a lady moaning somewhere and a small child whimpering about not being able to play softball at the weekend with a broken wrist. Two women were arguing about whose turn it was to take Doctor Roaming Hands his coffee.

It was the smells that bothered him most of all. Whilst he loved the comforting aroma of disinfectant, the scent of decay made him feel ill to his stomach. But there were other smells too. Undercurrents of something delicious and his mouth began to water. After twenty seven years of his mothers bland cooking whatever Eddie could smell had piqued his appetite, and viciously so. It was as though he'd woken with taste buds that weren't his own. He swiped at his lips and looked at the silvery liquid that was now smeared across the back of his hand. Turning his hand this way and that he watched the fluid glint and his confusion almost doubled.

His disorientation was not helped by the way he felt inside himself. He felt different, altered, and could think of no logical reason how or why that could be.

He'd never been particularly claustrophobic – it was one of only a handful of phobias that he'd managed to stave off – but right then, not knowing where he was or why he was in such a small space his newest phobia was taking stock. And it liked what it saw in Eddie. The perfect host for another irrational fear.

Confined as he was his panic took hold and he began to strike out at the stainless steel sides of the unit. This was despite his being engulfed by a body bag, and an unholy din was raised as a consequence.

Realising that thrashing as he was would get him nowhere he began to explore his confines more calmly. No plan for escape could be made without first knowing thine enemy. There was smooth, cold metal on all four walls with around six inches space in any direction for him to move. He ran his fingertips along and around each surface he could reach looking for seams. Where there were seams there was hope to get out of whatever he was in. There. Behind his head.

Without noticing the damage he'd already done to the inside of his makeshift coffin he punched the door behind his head and shoved it clean off its hinges before sliding out of the unit, like a giant black slug minus its slimy lubricant, still in his black plastic bodysuit.

Using fingernails he didn't realise shouldn't be able to puncture the bag he slit it open like gutting a fish and was soon stood in the middle of the morgue as naked as the day he'd been born with a body bag pooled at his feet.

He didn't squint in the overhead lighting as he should've. He didn't wince with sore and cramped muscles as he should and he didn't panic. He was free of his 'box' and for the first few minutes at least that calmed him. For the first time in his life Eddie didn't panic. He simply stood right where he was and took in his surrounds.

Row after row of stainless steel doors stood in orderly ranks around two of the four walls of the room. There were three stainless steel benches with piping beneath them on the tiled floor and a long trough against the third wall. Long fluorescent overhead lights hung above the benches and swinging plastic windowed doors took up the fourth wall.

Realising where he was he began to revert to type and as the panic once again rose inside him he began to shake. Pivoting in place he turned around and around and tried to clear his head as he stared at what was now obvious. He was in the morgue and someone thought he was dead.

The morgue might very well be the perfect place for someone like Eddie whose hypochondria knew no bounds, but if he was standing, and could move, how was it possible that he could be assumed to be dead he thought to himself?

He'd checked his blood pressure the night before. He'd noted his heart rate and he'd checked his body for untoward marks as usual. How could it be that he'd wound up in the morgue he thought as he began to recall the events of the last evening he could remember.

He'd been asleep. His mother had screamed and he'd gone to see what was wrong. She'd been hurt. He remembered her lying on the floor and then he remembered the blood. Eddie cupped his hand over his mouth and nose and tried to block out the memory of the sight and smell of the blood on his mothers head and the floor of her bedroom.

His mother was dead. He knew it without proof. He'd seen her lying there and he'd seen and smelled the blood. He'd fainted before getting help for her. He'd failed her and she was dead.

Head once again swimming he tried to concentrate on his breathing. He took in great gulps of air but it tasted 'off' and it didn't help. It had never helped.

Before he fainted again he bent over and set his hands to his knees. Dragging in more air didn't help but he didn't faint either. That was new. Panic attacks almost always induced fainting. His heart would race and his palms would get clammy. His vision would cloud and his ears would start ringing. His throat would thicken and dry out before eventually closing over. None of that happened. Did that mean he was really dead he thought as he returned to his full height and checked his palms for the evidence of the panic attack. They were cool and dry.

This was new too. He felt the panic inside himself but his body wasn't having its normal reaction.

His palms were dry, his throat was sticky with what he assumed with mucous, but was in actual fact his new venom and his ears weren't ringing. He concentrated a moment to check but all he could hear were conversations and the awful sound of a saw cutting through something nearby.

He checked his pulse, usually a sure fire sign that he was panicking and was likely to faint. He pressed his fingertips to his wrist and closed his eyes to concentrate. He readjusted his fingers and tried again when the thump of his heart couldn't be located. When his second attempt also failed he put two fingers to his throat and felt there for what should've been a stronger thump. It too was silent. In a last ditch effort to prove to himself that he wasn't dead he put his palm to his chest. Nothing.

And then his panic did flood his system and he was on his knees drawing in giant gulps of oxygen that he as yet had no idea that he didn't need. And of course it didn't help him. All it did was convince him further that he'd perished alongside his mother and that he was now a spirit or a ghost and he was trapped inside the morgue.

His next instinct was to run but after a few seconds of further thought he came to realise that he was in no condition to do so. He was naked, he'd just busted his way out of a freezer draw and he had a tag attached to his toe that more than likely said he was dead.

If this was the afterlife Eddie wasn't amused. He'd expected swathes of white gossamer thin linens and angels bearing harps playing something classical. He expected to feel euphoria for having arrived. He expected to face judgement at the very least. He expected his father to greet him as he arrived and he expected someone to present him with a certificate or something equally official. Surely there was a certificate involved? Eddie loved certificates. Especially ones that announced he'd completed a task. So shouldn't someone be here to present him with his 'Completion of Life' diploma?

He hadn't expected stainless steel, disinfectant and a toe tag.

Snapping the toe tags thread impatiently Eddie tried to apply logic and reason to the situation. If panic hadn't produced an answer perhaps he could use his mental skills to work out what had gone wrong with his 'crossing over'. If he could locate some clothing he could go and find someone to tell him what had happened to him. If he could get an explanation, and an expert medical opinion to tell him one way or another that he was dead, he could then plan what his next step would be. There had to be medical men in heaven, they healed the sick on earth so they'd be granted access he thought, convinced. Maybe not Doctor Roaming Hands though. Eddie doubted that someone who'd been given such a name would get a glimpse of the Pearly Gates.

And where were the Gates? He thought about that as he began to look around for anything he could use to cover himself. It wouldn't do to present yourself to God buck naked after all. Gives entirely the wrong impression about how one had conducted themselves on earth.

Locating a stack of neatly folded black plastic garbage bags Eddie fashioned two of them into a suit as best he could. His fingernails easily split the plastic to create two legs holes in one of the bags, and two arm holes and a hole for his head to slip through in another. Holding the two bags tightly to his waist he tied them there using a length of the same string that had fastened his toe tag to his foot.

It escaped his notice that these things came easily to him. The smashing open of the drawer, the destruction of the body bag, the slitting open of the bags and the snapping of the plastic twine were all things he couldn't normally have done. But in his panic, and his desperation to get some answers, these things simply didn't cross Eddie's mind.

What did cross his mind was his mothers whereabouts.

If he'd been brought here, wherever here was, she would have been too. Logic dictated that her name would be on one of the temporary tags in their holders on the front of the drawers and he soon located Agnes Masen.

Steeling himself he opened the drawer carefully. The same hit of disinfectant assaulted his nose as he slid open the zip on his mothers body bag. She looked serene, peaceful even. He hoped she was being greeted by his father and he hoped she wasn't lost as he was.

He stood and gazed down at her for a long, long time. The curve of her jaw, the sweep of her brow. The wrinkle free cheeks and forehead from years of Ponds Vanishing cream had really paid off. She was as beautiful to him in death as she'd been in life and Eddie loved her. Truly loved her. She'd never raised her voice or hand to him in all his years and her patience and love for him shone through everything she did and said. She'd speak to him no more and that thought made Eddie hang his head. He'd let her down. When it came to the final hurdle he'd let her down.

Placing a tender kiss to her cheek for the last time Eddie told his mother thank you. Thank you for all she'd done for him and a bittersweet thank you for giving him life.

He said another silent goodbye to his mother and closed the drawer.

Sinking to the tiled floor Eddie sat, back propped against the door of the bottom drawer, and slid his hands through his copper mop of hair. What now he thought?

He was quite obviously dead. No heart beat attested to that. But what to do now?

Should he stay here? Could he leave? Could anyone see or hear him now? He felt tangible. He could feel his own limbs and he could see and hear and he'd spoken out loud to his mother just now but whether or not anyone else could hear or see him remained a mystery to him.

Deciding to test his boundaries he got to his feet and moved around the room. There was a window above the trough but it was shut and locked so there was no way to test if he could leave via that. The swinging plastic doors weren't locked; after all it wasn't likely that any of the occupants in the morgue were going to abscond. So Eddie walked toward those doors rather gingerly.

He hesitantly snaked his hand toward the push pad on the door but before he could touch it it flung inwards and smacked him in the nose.

Shaking his head, not yet realising that it hadn't hurt, Eddie stared at the doors. There was nobody coming through them. He'd been about to touch the metal plaque that was obviously where one pushed to open the doors, but they'd flung open on their own.

Had someone come in and he couldn't see them? Were they a ghost too? Or a spirit or a spectre or a wraith? Maybe someone alive had come through the doors but it was Eddie who couldn't see them? He'd seen his mother, but she was dead too. Perhaps he could only see other ghosts?

Standing stock still Eddie listened for movement in the room. Nothing. Nobody was moving themselves or anything about. The contents of the drawers weren't making a sound, of course, so there could be only one explanation.

Eddie was dead and he couldn't see those that were still alive.

Of course, like almost everyone else in the general population, Eddie had never been in a morgue before so he didn't know that the pads on the doors weren't for pushing. They were hover pads. Sensors. When something got close enough for them to register they opened the doors automatically so that trolleys and gurneys could slip through unhindered.

Eddie wandered about the room and raked his hand through his hair in distress. How was he going to get out of there? How was he going to cross over, in either direction, if he couldn't communicate with anyone?

The footfalls of someone approaching weren't missed by Eddie's new hearing but his brain was in such turmoil that he didn't acknowledge the sound. What did register was the scent of the human approaching.

The scorching in Eddie's throat exploded as the push pad on the door was triggered and a warm, thumping heart and its mouth-watering blood entered the room.

Eddie didn't see the body as he turned. Like a cartoon character sees a steaming roast chicken on a platter where a head should be so did Eddie. He didn't see the stunned technician, he saw food.

Venom raced through his system and flooded his mouth to the point where he had to swipe at his lips again. The strange silvery fluid once again coated the back of his hand but Eddie didn't notice.

His thirst had ignited for the first time and it had swamped him. No amount of logic or reasoning was going to help because as Eddie stared at the tech and the tech stared at him Eddie had no other thought than to lunge.

"Holy fucking hell!" the doctor shouts at the sight of Eddie standing in the centre of the room in his 'black garbage bags are the new little black dress' ensemble. The doctor drops his armful of paperwork and stares hard at Eddie. He knows this guy; he bagged and tagged him himself not two hours prior. "How the fuck...?" the doctor stammers, confused.

It was his last thought because as his sentence trailed off the newborn vampire inside Eddie's body sprang into life. He lunged without knowing that he could. It was all instinct. Instinct and power and thirst. His muscles clenched as he slipped into his first ever crouch and his venom flowed as he whipped his head from side to side. His fists balled at his sides and as he sprang his only thought was that the blood inside this carcass had to somehow make its way into his system. He needed it. He had to have it. He didn't know or understand why but in that split second it didn't matter. It just had to be his.

The tech hit the floor with Eddie on top of him and as Eddie sank his teeth into the terrified mans throat all that could be heard was the slurping and groaning of a man who was neither alive nor dead.

Horrified by what he's done Eddie stands over the rapidly cooling body of the tech and stares. He feels sated, powerful and his panic has left him but he can't reconcile what he's just done with how much better he feels. He recognises he'd been hungry. No, what he'd felt when the man had entered the room wasn't hunger, it was starvation. He'd felt starved. And the tech had smelled like food.

He didn't know what he was or why he'd just drunk the blood of a hospital employee but he knew that if he hadn't yet faced judgement this one act was going to have a profound effect on what direction he was going to be crossing over into.

And for the first time Eddie Masen swore. "Fuck me!" he roared into the empty room as he stared down at the corpse.

There was only one thing left to do. He ran.

He needlessly crashed his way through the plastic swinging doors and stood in a long corridor. To the left were heart beats, to the right there was fresh air. He took off to the right and when he came to another set of swinging plastic doors he crashed through those too.

He exited directly out onto the morgues private loading dock and thankfully it was empty. He leapt from the dock, not stopping to think how such an act was executed so gracefully, and ran towards the trees that lined the back of the hospital grounds.

Dressed in his fetching black plastic outfit Eddie ran. Eddie ran fast. Fast enough that the three miles to the Masen home was covered in just a few minutes. Eddie crashed through the backdoor of his home and made a lap of the interior before coming to a stop at his mother's bedroom door. It smelled like death and blood and it made Eddie's throat and chest tighten. One in grief, the other in hunger.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading. **

**Please review. **


	4. Chapter 4

Destiny had won a rather hard fought game of Rummy with Fate the day Eddie woke and had decided to throw the poor guy a bone.

So it was Carlisle Cullen who discovered the body of the morgue technician. Carlisle had lost an elderly patient earlier in the day whose paperwork was missing vital information. He headed on down to the morgue to retrieve it himself. With boundless, endless energy he often walked the halls conducting his own errands. The nursing staff liked that about him, among other things. His looks were the first thing that drew the nurses to him – the blonde ethereal beauty was always noted – but his dedication and professionalism always won out once they came to realise he wasn't just a pretty face.

The scent of the spilled blood hit his nose first, though his thirst was well controlled as always. It was the proximity of the blood that startled him most. The morgue, as unlikely as it was, was a favourite place within the hospital for Carlisle.

He could continue to care for recently departed patients without the temptation their blood held for him in life. So unlike the other physicians who loathed their rotations through mortuary duties in the small hospital, Carlisle relished them. He often swapped with colleagues and was one of the few who didn't insist on being repaid.

Fresh blood inside the morgue was unusual. So Carlisle approached with caution. As well controlled as he was no 'vegetarian' vampire would put himself near it if he could help it. So it was with trepidation that he held his hand near the pressure pad on the doors. Through the plastic window he spied the body lying prone on the floor and rushed to it as the doors sprang open.

There was no need to check for vital signs, the tech was very obviously dead. He'd not been long expired though because the two tiny pinholes in his neck had not yet begun to heal.

Before touching the body Carlisle sniffed the surrounding air. Antiseptic, rubber and stainless steel were the correct smells; the venomous scent of a vampire was not.

Carlisle had known there was a vampire in the area but this scent was unfamiliar and it wasn't the scent of _the_ predator. He'd encountered the predator before, though not in this area, and knew that this was a new someone and not a scent he'd ever come into contact with before.

The door of one of the mortuary drawers had been wrenched from its hinges and coupled with the scent in the air and the discarded body bag on the floor a picture was beginning to form in his mind. A newly changed vampire had risen inside the morgue and he'd woken pretty hungry and obviously very pissed off.

He plucked the discarded toe tag from the floor and read the name. Edward Masen Junior. Sighing heavily he tucked the tag into his coat pocket then pulled the body bag to his nose and noted the same scent from the body of the tech. He didn't know Edward Masen Junior, had never had him as a patient and hadn't known him as a local, but there could be no doubt. Edward Masen Junior was now a vampire. How that had happened, and why he'd risen in a drawer at the morgue, was yet to be determined. But a vampire he now was.

And he'd left behind in his wake Steve Calvin, mortuary technician. That was unfortunate, and Carlisle would mourn his passing in due time, but right in that moment there was a much bigger problem for Carlisle. The disposal of the techs body had to be paramount and the story that needed to be concocted to explain his disappearance needed to be enacted.

The family would arrive after his alert and they could begin the disappearance portion, but Carlisle himself would handle the body.

Bending over it to sniff the puncture wounds on the neck of the corpse Carlisle got a clearer sense of the new vampire. The distinctive scent of the venom was concentrated around the wounds and the scent of the vampire himself was on the body. The vampire had either held his prey as the body had been drained or he had had some other kind of contact before or after the deed was done.

There were no other human scents in the area, or on anything else, just the vampiric ones.

Carlisle knew he had to contain the situation before a cleanup plan could begin, or the vampire responsible located, so he withdrew his cell phone from his pocket and as he dialled he ran back through the swinging doors and made his way further along the corridor to the fire panel at the far end.

As his call connected he pressed the fire alarm button and punched in floor three, ward two, to alert security that there was a fire three floors above. As per protocols each floor would be sealed off and no movement would be allowed between them until the threat was cleared. Hoping that luck was on his side Carlisle picked the highest floor and the furthest ward away from where he needed to be. That should allow him the time he needed to clean up the mess in the morgue.

"Alice?" Carlisle whispered into his cell as he made his way back down the corridor. "We've got a rogue newborn, gather the others, the morgue," and with that he snapped his cell shut and replaced it in the pocket of his pristine white coat.

With the fire alarm shrieking and the thunderous sound of footsteps on the floors above Carlisle tended the body in the morgue. He quickly stripped it and washed it down and then used his own venom, on the tip of his finger, to heal the wounds on the throat as best he could. The 'treatment' being administered post mortem meant that the natural healing qualities of the good doctor's venom would seal the wound but it couldn't disappear the marks completely.

When the body was clean and dry he drew a new body bag from the storage unit on the wall and slid the unfortunate techs innocent body into it. Using his fingertips he bent the hinges as best he could back into their normal shape on the door and closed the drawer. Hopefully the damage to the inside wouldn't be noticed for some time. After all, who would be likely to check the status of the inside of a mortuary drawer? The handle on the door was another matter.

Carlisle stalked towards the desk by the swinging doors and withdrew a maintenance request form and hurriedly noted the damage to the drawer lock. He left no reason for the damage and signed the techs name as best he could before dropping the form into the mail outbox on the desktop.

He rolled the poor man's uniform into a ball and stuffed it into a fresh black plastic garbage bag and set it down by the doors. Joining that bag was the body bag Edward had been encased in. Those would need to be disposed of elsewhere.

He thinks a moment about the tag on the front of the drawer. It needs to be altered so he slips it into his pocket with the toe tag and takes a fresh one from the stack on the desk. He leaves the name the same, the birth date and death date and the request for an autopsy box he checks too. What he alters is the technicians initial clinical findings. These are simple notes made from merely observing the corpse when it is first delivered to the morgue. Carlisle withdraws the original tag and copies the notes from it and adds that there are two small wounds at the base of the neck that are consistent with a spider or reptile bite from first observance. Forging the techs signature a second time he slides the tag back into its holder.

There is nothing else that can be done to cover up what had occurred so Carlisle takes the two black plastic bags by the door and exits to the loading dock. As he moves down the corridor the feint scent of the new vampire swirls around him. There'd been no swathe cut through the ground floor of the hospital, there'd been no frantic search for a deranged lunatic and no code called to tell Carlisle that the newborn was still on the premises, so as he exits out onto the dock he hopes that Edward has made his escape and is now holed up somewhere else.

The family calmly walk out of the trees that border the back of the hospital grounds and as they move towards where Carlisle stands on the dock he prepares his orders for the group.

There will be time later to explain all the details, but now that the morgue has been handled as well as could be expected the priority must shift to finding Edward Masen Junior.

"Emmett, you'll need to set up a disappearance scenario for Steve Calvin. You'll find his details on the HR data base for the hospital," he tells his son. He knew the drill and how to construct just such a scenario. He addresses Rose next, "Get in touch with Eleazar if you can. Ask him to arrange to restock our part of the forest," he tells her but she is already dialling as he turns to Esme. "I need you to make a room available at the house. Everything you can think of to make a newborn comfortable," he tells his frantically nodding wife. "Alice, you'll need to be ready to close up a house and Jasper I need you to close out a life," he says sombrely, handing his son the toe tag that has Edward's details on it.

They all nod sadly. They'd all been there before, when Bella had joined them most recently and earlier as each new member of the Cullen family had been changed, and they all knew what their roles were going to be.

"What about me, dad?" Bella asks carefully. This was new for her. She didn't recall much of what was done on her behalf after her change because she'd been dealing with enough already. So the 'closing out of her life' had been done around her, not with her. It wasn't clear by the way she'd posed the question whether or not she wanted to help clean up this mess, but Carlisle needed her whether she was willing or not.

As the newest member of the coven she was going to be a valuable ally for whoever this Edward Masen Junior turned out to be because she'd been turned most recently and would be able to empathise with him best.

"You'll come with me," he tells his newest daughter. He places a careful hand to her cheek and smiles softly. "A young man woke as a vampire today, Bella, and he's confused and disoriented and most likely afraid. You'll come with me," he tells the nodding girl.

While the Cullen's were cleaning up his mess Eddie was in his bed with the covers pulled up over his head. He was hiding and he was scared.

His run home had occurred without him noticing anything untoward. It was only after he'd reached the house that the sights and smells around him began to bother him.

Whoever had collected his mother's body, and his while he thought about it, had cleaned up as best they could the smell of the dead blood that had soaked into the underlay of the carpet was making him squirm.

Other smells inside the house were making themselves known to him too. Rotting fruit in the bowl on the kitchen counter, the contents of the pantry and refrigerator and the bag of household rubbish that sat by the front door that he should've disposed of the night he'd died were all emanating hideous odours that were torturing Eddie's new sense of smell.

Even the smell of his own body was foreign to Eddie. He no longer sweated. He'd found that out after his run home. And he hadn't needed to pee yet either. Not altogether odd if he considered that he'd been 'awake' for just over two hours now, but Eddie had just consumed a human body's blood. All of it. Every last drop. And his bladder was not yet protesting at all.

The things he could see now were less bothersome to him but no less startling. Dust motes glinted in the air of his bedroom even though he knew his mother wiped down every surface every other day. And speaking of surfaces he could now make out every scratch, dent and scuff mark on every surface in the little house. It made the furniture and fittings look shabby where they'd seemed perfectly maintained before.

The fibres of the carpeting were strewn with debris too. His mother was a meticulous housekeeper and he'd only just replaced the vacuum cleaner last Christmas for her, so he couldn't understand why the floors were in such a state.

And the bathroom! Oh dear, the bathroom had been most awful of all. Eddie had gone into it to retrieve his notebook so he could check his notes and had come face to face with a virtual house of horrors. Mould, stray hairs and dust were on every surface. There was a damp spot on the wall by the shower and there was a rust stain around the plug hole of the bath tub. Those had not been there before he died. He'd have seen them. Especially the mould. But there they were now, as clear as the nose on his face.

And that was another thing. His face! He stared at himself in the vanity mirror for a long, long time. His face was more angular, his features more defined. His cheeks less hollow and his lips fuller and a darker red than they should be. His hair was brighter, which was bad enough, and the cowlick he'd had before at his crown was now nowhere to be seen. And he'd checked too. He'd held aloft his mother's hand mirror and had checked the back of his head. No cowlick. How could that be? How could he look better in death than he had alive?

And then he noticed his eyes. Not just bloodshot, which he might have been able to understand considering the trauma of being dead, his eyes were blood red. The iris, not just where the white should be. The whole iris was crimson!

The sight of his eyes had scared him so much he'd fled the bathroom and taken sanctuary under his bed clothes.

And that's where he was when Bella and Carlisle arrived. Hiding under his blankets like a frightened little boy.

They approached cautiously from the front of the property, hoping to simply ring the doorbell and speak with him.

Eddie heard and smelled their approach and he did hear the doorbell but he simply didn't want to see who it was. He was too afraid he'd hurt them as he'd hurt that guy in the morgue.

When it became obvious to the pair of Cullen's on the front porch that he wasn't going to come to the door they slip around to the back of the property. They both cross his scent as they approach the back door so they know he is definitely in residence.

Carlisle knocks politely again but again Eddie ignores the tapping.

"Edward? Edward, we know you're in there, we just want to talk to you," Carlisle calls calmly in a whisper knowing that Eddie can hear him perfectly. With a flick of his head he motions Bella to go to the window to their left to see what she can see. "Edward, I can explain what's happened to you," Carlisle whispers again as Bella takes a peek through the window. She nods firmly just once to let Carlisle know that she can see Eddie in the room. Or at least who she assumes is Eddie hiding under his bedclothes.

Eddie stays under his blankets shaking like a leaf. These people and he knows there are two of them because the man had said 'we' - and he could smell more than one which was weird - smelled strange and Eddie had had enough of strange for the day. "Go away!" he shouts far too loudly and makes himself wince.

Carlisle smiles and Bella grins. For someone who's doing their best impression of 'I'm not here' he's certainly loud. Bella chuckles inwardly and sneaks another look in through the window.

Edward is still under the blankets. She shakes her head and nods toward the window. Carlisle steps to her side and peers in himself. He smiles again and then returns to the backdoor. He tests the handle and as he expects it's locked. He twists his wrist ever so slightly and holds his left hand over his right as he forces the bolt of the lock to give. There is hardly a sound as the metal rod snaps in the doorframe and only the slightest creak as he pushes the door open to enter.

He motions for Bella to remain outside and after she's nodded to show she's understood he steps into the hall. "Edward, we aren't here to hurt you, I swear it," he cajoles the frightened young man from outside his bedroom door. "I know you're scared, we all were when we woke," he says softly hoping his bait will be taken.

It is. Eddie is so scared and so confused about what he is and how he feels that he grabs onto the lifeline Carlisle throws him as though it is the one lifeboat left with a spare seat in it as the Titanic sinks. He doesn't lift the covers off his head but he figures his voice is so deep now that he'll be heard without doing so anyway. "Am I dead?" he asks carefully.

Carlisle smiles and outside Bella hides her chuckle as best she can. She'd asked exactly the same question when it had been her frightened as she woke.

"Technically no," Carlisle says carefully, giving Edward the same answer he'd given all the others. "And technically yes, it's complicated," he chuckles.

Eddie has no idea what he's being told. Is he dead or is he alive? If he's dead is this guy dead too, and if he's alive what does the technically bit mean? "If I'm not dead why was I in the morgue?" he asks. At the time it seemed like the most important piece of the puzzle.

"I don't know yet, but I can find out for you. But you have to let me come in there, son," Carlisle says evenly.

Eddie's gut clenched. Nobody had called him son since his father's death so long ago and this man's voice was so soothing it made Eddie want to hug him. Shaking his head to clear the errant thought Eddie peeks out from under the edge of his blankets. Brown leather shoes and plain grey slacks stand in the doorway to his room. Realising that this man is in the actual house and he didn't want to murder him is a massive relief.

"You can come in," Eddie whispers.

"I have my daughter with me. I want to bring her in too, son. She won't hurt you, I swear it to you. But it's important you meet her too, Edward," Carlisle says as he waves to Bella, who is sticking her head around the door waiting for the signal.

A girl? The other smell was a girl? Eddie thought as he cowered under his protective coverings. He'd never had a girl in his room before, mother would be shocked. But mother wasn't here anymore he thought sadly. He needed to know what the hell had happened to him and this man, and his daughter, said they could help. And Eddie needed help. "Okay," he agrees.

"Thank you," Carlisle says as Bella joins him inside Eddie's room. "Will you come out from under there and talk to us?"

Bella perches on the edge of the windowsill she'd been peeking through from the outside while Carlisle stands at the foot of the bed. He raises a finger to his lips to remind Bella to be silent and once she's nodded her agreement he coughs softly to show Eddie that they are indeed in his room.

Eddie knew where they were. He could smell them and could hear every move they made. It frustrated the hell out of him because he didn't know why everything had been amplified. "I'll stay under here for a bit I think," he replies to Carlisle carefully.

Carlisle smiles. He understands Edward's vulnerability and he can also appreciate his not wanting to make eye contact. The poor boy had no idea what he'd woken as and it was going to come as quite a shock. Hiding away would soften the blow and allow him to process the information without having to also consider his reaction with himself and Bella in the room. "As you wish," he agrees. "As I've already said I don't know the circumstances that led to you being put into the morgue, but I will find out, I promise," Carlisle assures him. "I also don't know how you came to be what you are now, but I'll do my best to find that out too, alright?"

"I just want to know what I am. If I'm dead and you're an angel just tell me," Eddie blurts out without thinking. As soon as the sentence leaves his lips he slaps a hand over his mouth and closes his eyes tight. If he's just insulted an angel he is going to be in big, big trouble. Bigger trouble than he was already in for killing that man in the morgue. "Have you come to take me to hell?" he asks hurriedly, needing to know so he can prepare himself.

"No, son," Carlisle did his best to hide his laugh. "I'm not an angel and I'm not here to take you to hell. But you can come home with me if you want to. Edward, at some point over the last few days you were bitten by someone and that bite has changed your make up," Carlisle begins. There was no point sugar coating it. It was going to be a shock no matter how it was delivered and Carlisle knew that brutal honesty was always best. Nobody wanted a repeat of Emmett's rising. "That bite, and the venom that was forced into your system, it's made you a vampire, son."

Every muscle in Eddie's body began to spasm as the word vampire ricocheted around the confines of his brain. Vampire? Vampire? Surely not. They weren't real. He'd done the math himself! He'd studied the histories, he'd checked and rechecked the myths, and he knew what was real and what were just old wives tales passed down through centuries. This guy was a nut. He was just as crazy as Eddie now believed himself to be.

His panic was so great that he threw the bed clothes off himself and landed on his feet in his second crouch since rising. As had been his lunge toward the hapless technician his aggression under stress was also borne of instinct rather than logic.

Growling steadily Eddie held the crouch and glared at Carlisle, "You're a madman!" he roared wincing once again at the depth and ferocity of his own voice.

Carlisle, ready for the open hostility that Edward was exhibiting, stands his ground passively. He holds a hand up when Bella flinches to let his daughter know that he has the situation under control, and when he speaks it is calm and quiet and it has a soothing effect on Eddie simply because of the sincerity with which the words are delivered. "I am not a madman, son, but you _are_ a vampire."

Eddie didn't advance but neither did he straighten from his crouch. A low, rumbling growl came out of his throat without his permission and venom dripped from the corner of his mouth. "There is no such thing as vampires," he hisses. Bella scoffs and Eddie's eyes flick to her for the first time. Believing she is making fun of him Eddie growls again and rounds on her, "You believe him?" he demands.

Bella, silently in awe of her father because he'd known exactly how this guy was going to handle being told what he was, nods minutely towards Carlisle and takes a small step toward the growling, trembling man. Palms up she approaches cautiously, as Carlisle has insisted, and when she is standing right up in Eddie's grill she smiles, "I believe him because he's telling the truth and because I woke up a vampire myself and I felt exactly like you do right now," she tells a gaping Eddie.

Eddie blinks rapidly although his eyes will never again dry out under stress and straightens from his crouch. He cranes his neck from side to side and regards the girl who stands before him. She looked perfectly normal. Her eyes aren't red and after a quick glance at the man he notes that his aren't either. He sniffs and it is a noticeable action from a newborn, not the stealthy testing of the air that a seasoned vampire would make. But neither of the Cullen's pass comment as Eddie tries to decide if what he is hearing and seeing – and to a lesser extent what he smells – could be true.

And then he asks what he would later consider the stupidest thing he's ever asked anyone in his life, "How do I feel?"

Bella cocks her head to one side and takes in the posture of the poor, frightened boy. She can see the shimmer emanating from him where he shakes and she can smell his stress induced venom on the air. She softens her stance and reaches, very slowly and carefully, across the distance between them and closes her fingers around the fist he's made at his side. Holding his hand in hers, stroking her thumb across the back of his hand, she begins to speak very quietly. "You feel afraid, Edward. You don't understand what you are and you don't understand why you can see every microscopic thing so clearly, and hear every infinitesimal sound even from miles away. Your throat is burning and your head is filled with a thousand thoughts that are crashing against your skull as though they all need your attention all at once. But most of all you feel alone. That's why we're here, Edward. You aren't alone. We're here and we'll help you through this."

Eddie didn't need to think before asking his next question, "You're a vampire?" When Bella nods and squeezes his hand a little harder he lets out the breath he's been holding onto, but doesn't actually need. "I don't breathe," he mutters to himself and stares into her eyes. "My mother's dead," he announces as though it would prove a point. Bella didn't know anything about his mother or the circumstances surrounding his change anymore than Carlisle did but she understood how confused Edward was, so she nodded in sympathy. She'd lost her dad and she'd tried to kill herself so she understood grief and she understood loss. This guy was just like she'd been, lost alone and confused. "I killed a man," he whispers as she folds him into her arms.

At the back of the room Carlisle Cullen smiles smugly to himself.

Yes, Bella was the right choice to bring to help Edward he thinks as he digs into his pocket to relay the happenings at the Masen house to his wife.

Destiny smiled and told Fate to 'rack em up', and as the cards hit the table they both hoped for a winning hand. It's all anybody could hope for, to be dealt the cards you needed to just survive.

Eddie had just been dealt a full house.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who is sending me good wishes. This one is proving just as much fun as Fifty-Six was.**

**Thank you for reading. **

**Please review. **


	5. Chapter 5

**At the beginning of each chapter from here on in until Eddie agrees to move in with the Cullen's full time there will be short snippets of conversations, and observations, from Bella regarding their early interactions. If the time frame for these snippets gets confusing, or annoying, drop me a line and I'll leave them out. **

**I'm not wholly convinced the technique works and as I've said this is my first attempt at a narrative. **

* * *

_"But you were nice to me then!" Eddie roars at Bella as she smiles smugly up at him from the armchair in the Masen living room._

_"I was asked to be," Bella laughs. "You were freaking out, nerd-boy."_

_Eddie stomps off, slamming his hand against the wall as he leaves, and goes down the hall to his bedroom. He slams the door there too._

_It had been two weeks since the Cullen's had attempted to include the newborn and it had been two weeks of hell as far as Bella was concerned. The guy was just a baby in a man suit and he drove her nuts! No, it was worse than that. He was a monkey in shoes, that's what he was. He was a needy, nerdy, ungrateful mommy's boy who had invaded her nice quiet life and she was sorry she'd ever gone to his house with Carlisle to try and rescue the sap._

* * *

Eddie had allowed Bella to hug him in his bedroom the day he found out he was a vampire but the instant his aggression subsided so did Bella's warmth toward him. Once his shaking had settled down and she'd released him from the embrace another bucket load of excrement had hit the oscillation device.

Carlisle introduced himself, then Bella, and he then set about explaining who they were and who the other Cullen's were. He told the still shuddering boy that he knew and understood his confusion and his fear and that he could help him overcome one and come to terms with the other.

Thinking that he'd engineered a peaceful alliance with the newborn Carlisle stepped forward and offered Eddie sanctuary at the Cullen residence. With his head still swimming with all the new information Eddie had balked. Carlisle had cajoled. Bella had huffed at his belligerence and Carlisle had tried everything in his linguistic arsenal to sweet talk the boy. But Eddie just wasn't having it.

He wasn't a child. He didn't need new parents and he certainly didn't need half a dozen 'siblings' hovering. In fact he didn't want siblings period. He had a home already and he was comfortable in it. He didn't want anyone 'closing out his home' or 'closing out his life' because to him he wasn't finished living it yet. He didn't want to live in any other home than the one he was standing in and he certainly didn't want to give up his job or his research.

He refused to see that he couldn't just go back to who and what he had been before the bite and he had convinced himself that by not attacking either Carlisle or Bella that he could control his thirst without supervision. The burn in his throat had been sated by the blood of the tech and even though both Carlisle and Bella did their best to explain that it would return and he would likely attack someone else, Eddie simply didn't believe them.

He knew and understood that when Carlisle had given him the news that he was a vampire that meant he needed blood, but while his throat wasn't aching he simply didn't bother with the thought any further. How he would obtain that blood didn't cross his mind because he felt fine, better than fine. For the first time ever Eddie felt strong and powerful. He'd never needed confidence so he'd never tried it out before, so as he stood his ground in front of the two Cullen's he found that it quite suited him.

He might not have understood fully what his new status was going to mean for himself but he was vociferously confident that he could manage whatever it would bring on his own. His naivety would've been endearing had they known him better. His willingness to try to go it alone would've been a source of pride had either Cullen known the kind of isolated, socially repressed life he'd led up till then. But they didn't know him and they didn't know how he'd lived as a human so his reluctance to see or hear about the struggles he was about to face came off as arrogance.

Now, Eddie had never been arrogant. He could certainly spell the word but it simply wasn't a part of his biological or emotional make up. But as he stood his ground and defied what he was being shown by the two experienced vampires in his bedroom that's how he seemed to them.

As Eddie's confidence in his own ability grew - but in reality it was more that Eddie believed his own bullshit by this point - Carlisle's fear escalated in direct proportion. The more fiercely Eddie insisted he stay exactly as he was the harder Carlisle pressed him to change.

The Cullen duo did their best to make Eddie see that he couldn't return to work as Eddie Masen because Eddie Masen was dead. There was a body in the morgue to prove it and a police report and corresponding investigation report to confirm it. Eddie countered that he'd simply change his name to Edward Masen.

"Oooh, nobody will ever pick the difference there, Einstein," Bella had chuckled. "Eddie and Edward, big difference, moron," she'd laughed at a seething Eddie.

In a split second Eddie had thought of an alternative and said he'd change his name to Edward Anthony, and use his middle name as his surname. He stood, hands on hips, grinning smugly at his own brilliance while Bella raised her eyes and shook her head in exasperation.

"That could work," she mumbled, "but what about your head?"

"My head?" Eddie asked, totally lost. What was wrong with his head? He'd looked in the mirror earlier and whilst his eyes were scary he didn't look all that much different. "I'm the same as I was, not the eyes obviously, but I'm the same," he said sarcastically, thinking he'd just won the argument.

Bella threw Carlisle an irritated look and then turned back to Eddie. Carlisle's softly softly approach hadn't worked and neither had her tolerant one so she tried blunt force. "God you're an idiot," she hissed. "How the hell have you survived this long?" she asked rhetorically. "You _are_ the same you dick, and that's the problem. Changing your name won't do anything other than confuse the humans who knew you when you _were_ one of them. You need to disappear. Everything about you needs to disappear. To the humans you died. There's no way to explain that you didn't without exposing what you are. But if you're okay with becoming a lab rat while some scientist dissects you go right ahead," she seethed as she waved her hand towards him in temper. "But if you want to make something of the second chance you've been given then you have to disappear."

But Eddie didn't want to disappear. He could see the logic in her argument but the way it had been delivered to him just made him mad. He'd never been yelled at before and he'd never been castigated or emasculated and he didn't like it. She'd scolded him and Eddie's new brain didn't like that either.

"Fine," Eddie growled slowly, "the old Eddie can disappear but when will be my choice. And I'll be the one to do it. I don't know you people and you don't know me. You can't close out my life because you don't know anything about it. I don't trust you; I've got no one left to trust."

Carlisle had had to concede the point and had agreed to let Eddie tidy up his own affairs. Jasper would have to keep a close eye on how it was done because in the age of computers and paper trails it was getting harder and harder to do, but he could see the sense in letting Eddie try. Besides, if he found it impossible to achieve – which Carlisle thought he might – there was a better chance of him joining them of his own accord later.

What they couldn't come to an agreement about was Eddie joining them at the Cullen house _now_. Or any decision about what he'd do after he'd closed out his old life. Eddie was determined to stay in his own home, surrounded by his own things, but Carlisle knew it was much more than that. It wasn't really about _things_. It wasn't about possessions because he could see that the Masens hadn't lived a possession filled existence. Carlisle could see that Eddie's issues with leaving his home were about with whom he'd shared it and weren't about what he'd be leaving behind. His mother had only just passed away and he'd not had time to grieve over the loss.

Eddie's father's personal belongings were still in the house and his presence could be felt despite Carlisle never having known the man in life. To Carlisle's practised eye, and Bella's developing eye for details, the evidence was everywhere.

The car in the drive had been a 1986 Ford Taurus. There may have been doilies on the back parcel tray but there had also been a leather-bound touring map satchel in the holder on the back of the driver's seat. That spoke to Mr Masen more than Mrs Masen.

There had been three coats on the pegs inside the back door. Two men's and one womans. The womans smelled of human and had been worn recently. Eddie's scent hadn't changed all that much in the few days since his transformation, and even with the new spicy inclusion he did have, Carlisle had been able to tell that one of the coats had been his. The other, a man's coat that was just as out of style as the one Eddie had been wearing recently, smelled of laundry detergent and hadn't been worn by a warm blooded human in years. It could only have been Eddie's fathers.

There was a man's tartan slipper poking out from beneath the bed in what Carlisle assumed was Eddie's mothers bedroom but Eddie's slippers were lined up toe to the wall at his bedroom door.

No, Carlisle hadn't ever met Mr or Mrs Masen in life but he knew by looking at and listening to their son that they'd had a profound effect on the man he'd become.

Edward had said nothing about a woman or a girlfriend, friends or acquaintances that were likely to miss him or mourn him. He hadn't been worried about work colleagues or dates or meetings he wouldn't attend nor any that needed cancelling. He wasn't panic stricken, as far as Carlisle could see, about now being alone in the house. Sadly Carlisle came to see that nobody was going to actually mourn Edward Masen Junior's passing.

He dressed far older than he should for a man of twenty-seven who'd grown up during the age of low slung jeans and band t-shirts. He didn't exactly have what Emmett referred to as 'swag'. His hair was devoid of product and despite the obvious fact that it was clean and had been cut quite recently it hung limply over his left eye and was quite long at the back. It wasn't in keeping with the contemporary style either. There was an empty prescription glasses case lying on the nightstand and there two or three a pairs of actual glasses on the desk. They had plain black frames and were far too chunky to be considered modern.

The man was wearing Old Spice aftershave!

No, Eddie's reluctance to leave his home wasn't about the possessions that filled it. It was about leaving behind the parents who had made him what he was.

This wasn't the typical newborn belligerence or confusion and it wasn't about fear. It was about comfort. This man wasn't a man at all. He was a little boy who'd lost his father at some point and had taken on his persona and traits so long ago that he didn't know how to be himself. Edward Masen Junior was an old man in a young man's body. Edward Masen Junior was comfortable being his father. It's all he knew and he didn't want to let go of it.

When the realisation hit him Carlisle asked Bella to stand down. She backed away slowly and resumed leaning against the windowsill casually. Nothing was going to convince the newborn to leave his home and Carlisle now knew it.

So he changed tack. Instead of pleading with Eddie he began to outline how his thirst was likely to manifest itself and what he could expect as a newborn. Eddie nodded and took in the information as best he could and was relieved to no longer be being scolded like a naughty child.

The only concession Carlisle was happy to have managed to barter was that Eddie attempt to hunt in the forest rather than in the strip mall. Eddie had wrinkled his nose in disgust at the suggestion not because now that he'd had a taste for human blood he wanted more, but because the thought of hunting anything – even a lowly animal – made him feel sick. But recognising that the only way he was likely to be left alone by the Cullen's was to agree he did so grudgingly. When Carlisle added the nugget of information that Eddie's eyes would fade to a soft topaz if he only drank from animals Eddie agreed more readily. His eye colour had scared him so he knew without being told what it would do to humans if they saw him as he was.

It was dark when Eddie insisted they leave. Carlisle slid a small white card with his cell, home and office numbers on it and told Eddie that if he needed anything he should call and then he and Bella left the way they'd come, through the backdoor and then out into the trees. There was an overlap of only ninety seconds from when they reluctantly left and when Emmett and Rose assumed their positions on watch in the backyard.

Eddie smelled and heard them arrived and it just made his resolve to cope on his own stronger. Stupidly so. Naively so.

Carlisle and Bella returned to the Cullen residence and imparted all the information they could to those waiting and when the watch was switched at midnight and Jasper and Alice assumed their positions in the backyard of the Masen property the two returning Cullen's were brought into the loop.

In the hours between the change of watch Eddie busied himself inside his home, resenting all the while his two new 'spies'.

He rolled up and tossed out the black plastic bags he'd worn as a clothing on his run back from the morgue and then changed into his regular 'crease so straight it looked like it had been ironed in using a set square' trousers and teamed them with a regular navy blue and white checked button down. He chose beige wool socks and slid his feet into his regular brown loafers. The only adornment he added was his glasses.

He'd worn glasses his whole life, or at the very least from as far back as he could remember anyway. Certainly his first elementary school class picture had them perched on the bridge of his nose and as he slid his spare pair onto his face his vision blurred dramatically. He'd been wearing his newest prescription when he'd fainted so he figured they were now lying in the morgue along with the clothing he'd been wearing that night. He'd miss the pyjamas, they'd been his fathers.

Thinking his eyes would soon adjust to the older prescription he persevered with them and set about his chores.

His now cavernous brain and his inability to tire were going to come in handy he thought as he scrubbed the carpet in his mothers room. He re-stowed his father's one remaining slipper under his side of the bed and when the carpet was clean and no longer smelled of dead blood he changed the sheets on the bed.

He hung his mothers robe on the peg on the back of the door then closed it as he left. He couldn't remember a time when that door had been shut to him but as he took the armful of dirty linen from the hamper to the laundry room he thought it right that it should be shut now. If only for a little while anyway. He wanted the room to stay clean and he was determined that it would remain just as his parents had left it.

When the rest of the house was clean as well Eddie moved into his own bedroom. He hadn't quite given up the idea of returning to his job but he did shift his satchel and its contents to a shelf in the bottom of his closet as a concession. There would be no point doing anything with the paperwork in it if he couldn't return to the library after all. That situation required further thought.

He changed the sheets on his bed even though his mother had done it as a matter of routine only five days prior. His new sense of smell was irritating him and his sheets held his human scent, which he didn't particularly like now that he could smell it for himself.

At three in the morning Eddie decided he should try and sleep. He slid out of his loafers and lined their toes up against the wall beside his door as he'd done every day of his human life. He changed into his pyjamas, some blue flannel ones he liked second best now his others were lost to him, belted his father's robe around himself – his own had gone the way of his pyjamas - and went to conduct his nightly ablutions.

Had science had the opportunity to study Eddie as a human and then as a vampire they'd have been interested to learn that his hypochondria and his OCD had followed him into his new life.

Thinking it was a symptom – rather than a consequence of his change – Eddie experienced a slight panicked feeling when he couldn't pee but wrote off his still blurry vision as a side effect of wearing an outdated prescription. His lack of nightly stubble was a little concerning too but after he'd written himself a note to reassess it in the morning and had taped it to the vanity mirror he let the concern go until he had further information from observance to form a theory with. His lack of heart beat, pulse rate and blood pressure put paid to filling out his notepad but he relished being able to still go on with his dental routine.

He'd shredded the bristles on three toothbrushes by the time he'd completed his obligatory routine. He had no idea that his venom would disintegrate almost anything he put in his mouth and he stood looking at the twisted and ruined brushes with a puzzled look. He'd also used an entire package of dental floss picks because the sharpness of his new vampire teeth wouldn't allow the waxed string to get anywhere near his gums. He gave up with it after he'd emptied the entire packet. His regular mouthwash tasted like feet. And not just any feet. Had Eddie had a regular imagination he'd have come up with something like 'it tasted like it had been filtered through the gym sock of a hormonal ice hockey player after having played a particularly lengthy match'. As it was he just thought it tasted like feet.

Carlisle had told him about his new diet and what he could expect but had said nothing about putting regular things into his system. It was just assumed, because Carlisle could tell that Edward was a smart guy, that he'd _know_ not to attempt it. But for all his intelligence Eddie wasn't street smart and for all his research and his years of reading about the mythology behind vampire legends his attachment to his hypochondria was strong.

When the foul tasting mouthwash had been expelled from Eddie's mouth he took the mug from the vanity counter and used it to swish fresh water around his mouth. His thirst was a tiny, dull feeling at the back of his throat by this time, rather than a raging need, so he figured he could slake it with water until he had to face the terror of hunting an animal.

Eddie refilled the mug and drank the water down. It hit his stomach as though it was acid and it had no intention of remaining there. Coughing as the first of it came to the back of his throat Eddie sprayed the counter, mirror and the sink with it as it fought its way out of his body.

Clutching his belly after all the water had made its violent escape from his system he made his way back into his bedroom sadly. With a sneer towards the backyard where he knew the two 'spies' were hovering he peeled back the covers and slid into his bed seeking comfort.

His vision cleared when he removed his glasses and he could still see clearly even after he turned off his night light. He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep.

Of course he didn't and he was cranky, just as confused and just as scared when the sun came up four hours later. The only thing his 'rest' had achieved was a doubling of his determination to manage his new condition without the whispering, spying, hovering interference of the Cullen's in the yard.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading. **

**For all those who have dropped me messages asking if this Eddie will ever turn into the Edward Cullen we know and love yes, eventually. But I am having so much fun with him being so needy and so out of touch for the moment. Please be patient, he'll find his balls eventually...**

**Please review. **


	6. Chapter 6

"_If you hate me so much why are you here?" Eddie roared at a nonplussed Bella as she reclined on his bed. _

"_Because I was told to be here, asshat," she sneers as Eddie storms off out of the room. _

_With three weeks under his belt Eddie was just as big a pain in Bella's ass as he'd been the day he'd risen. She was just about up to pussies bow with his bullshit but she'd promised Carlisle that she'd do her best to watch out for the snivelling clusterfuck named Edward._

* * *

As Eddie's first dawn as a vampire began his thirst made itself known once more. Rose and Emmett remained in the trees at the back of the Masen house and Eddie paced indoors resenting them, viciously.

He hadn't slept a wink overnight and his throat was on fire.

His eyes were still crimson when he went into the bathroom and he still couldn't pee. And to top it off he didn't even have morning wood. If his penis was broken because he was now a vampire he wanted his money back!

The note he'd stuck to the vanity mirror made him remember to check whether his facial hair had grown during the night and he groaned in disbelief when he saw that it hadn't. He was just as smooth as he'd been when he'd woken in the morgue and the twenty-four hours since had made no difference to his jaw line.

He showered and checked his body over as was his normal regimen. Not only were there no new marks, his old ones were gone too. The scar he had on his left hip from having had the chicken pox as a child was no longer a hollow dimple and the blemish he had on his upper right thigh was now smooth and matched his new pale complexion.

And as males of all ages and cultures are want to do Eddie checked out his manhood. Was it thicker? Longer? Straighter maybe? It was hard to tell because he'd never paid it too much attention when he'd been human. And why couldn't he pee? Surely he should need to by now? He didn't even want to think about the state of his bowels if his bladder was on the fritz. Ingesting blood had to have some sort of effect on the machinations of his digestive system didn't it? He'd still have to expel the by-products of it, wouldn't he? He shuddered at the thought and got out of the shower hurriedly. He needed to research his new symptoms.

Once he'd dressed in grey trousers and a white button down shirt, had slipped on his socks and some black leather loafers, he headed out to the kitchen. It was only once he was there that his memory kicked in and made him remember that he didn't need to eat and his mother would never again serve him his high fibre cereal.

Eddie set the table anyway. He laid out two full place settings, as he had every day of his adult life, and placed a bowl, tea cup and saucer and cutlery beside each place. His mother always sat to his left and he always read the morning papers before going off to work. He may not be going to work but there was no excuse for not being informed so he made a quick dash to the sidewalk and retrieved the newspapers.

He laid them out on the table and went through the motions of a normal morning.

There was no cup of sweet tea, no cereal and no good morning kiss from his mother and Eddie missed those things. He missed the familiar clank of his dishes in the sink as he gathered his things in readiness to leave and he missed the scent of lavender that would linger on his coat after his mother had smoothed down his lapels before he left for the day. He missed the way his mother fussed over his too long hair and how she always wished him a good day and stood at the door waving as he drove off.

Eddie missed his mother.

For all the new power and strength he had, even with all the new brain capacity and the ferocious aggression he had inside him, he missed his mother.

Her loss gutted him more than the loss of his father ever had. He'd only been twelve when Edward Senior had passed away and he'd had Agnes to help him through that. It had been Agnes who had filled the space vacated by his father and now Agnes was gone too. Who would fill that void Eddie thought as he folded his newspaper and went into the hall. He took the stack of mail from the console table and took it into his bedroom.

With nowhere to be and nobody to keep him company or give him direction Eddie settled down at his desk and went through the post. He made out checks for the most immediate bills and made notes in his diary planner for when the rest were due. He had no idea that it was a bad idea to do this. He had no clue that dead men didn't pay their gas bills. He didn't know that he should've been closing out accounts, not paying them. But Eddie didn't know. Carlisle hadn't gotten that far.

Modern technology was something only other people used in the Masen household. So whilst every teenager on the planet was engrossed in the internet Eddie pulled his fathers forty year old medical text down off the bookshelf in the living room and flicked through its faded, yellowing pages until he found the section marked 'Urology'.

His inability to urinate. Inability to use, or a sluggish bowel, and worst of all loss of erectile function were all listed in the gigantic tome. Eddie had never had a use for his erections so their disappearance wasn't all that frightening to him so he merely jotted that down as just another symptom of what he was now convinced was prostate cancer.

Using the built in symptom tracker in the book, and wasting two hours of his day, he was armed with proof that he had prostate cancer and that the hormonal imbalances it usually caused were the reason for his lack of hair growth and his insomnia too.

Armed with the information that he'd fought death and won once already, he was convinced that waking a vampire was the least of his problems because cancer was going to claim him now anyway.

As the afternoon wore on a much more insistent problem was beginning to make itself known.

The fire in his throat had begun at first light as a mere irritation. By midday it was unavoidable and by three it could no longer be dismissed. Eddie was thirsty and his brain would let him think about nothing else. Nothing helped. No distraction detracted from the ache and no amount of willpower was going to overcome the need for blood.

Remembering his promise to Carlisle that he'd only hunt animals Eddie sat on the end of his bed and tried to construct a plan to do just that. There was forest all around the area and whilst Eddie didn't know what animals were out there, he knew there had to be something substantial. There were seven Cullen's all feeding from the same forest so there had to be at least enough to sustain them. That meant there'd be enough to quench Eddie's little problem too.

Getting out of the house wouldn't pose a problem, nor would getting to the forest itself. He didn't want to think about how to take down an animal so he'd leave the logistics of that for when he got where he was going. He didn't know that either though. So he went to his desk and pulled out his high school geography textbook and located Forks on the map inside it. It was only a mile to the dense forest to the east so Eddie plotted a course that would take him through the least number of residential streets.

Eddie's run home the day before had been exhilarating and he was eager to go again. He wasn't looking forward to the actual feeding part, but the run held some promise for someone who'd never excelled at sports before. Eddie was good at math so if the three mile run from the hospital to his home had taken a touch over three minutes he reasoned that the run to the forest would take a little more than one. He just had to hold onto his resolve for one minute while he ran and then he could find an animal.

Knowing that the 'spies' in his backyard would have to switch over at some point Eddie hovered near the window in his bedroom and waited. Come on, come on he thought as he glared at the pair of pale statues. They were perfectly still and he didn't know that this was a vampire trait. The swirling torment in his throat and in his brain hadn't let up for one second since he'd woken so he had no idea that a perfectly content vampire could stand motionless for days on end if need be, without discomfort. To Eddie it looked as though Rose and Emmett were statuary.

Twenty minutes later– and the whole time spent issuing some rather colourful mental language from a man who'd only cursed for the first time in his life a day prior – the two marble figurines in his back garden reanimated and slipped quietly into the trees.

This was his chance.

As Alice and Jasper switched places with their siblings, and a hastily whispered sit rep was delivered at the point in the trees where the two couples changed over, Eddie slipped out the front door and jogged down the street towards the forest.

Now, he had a plan and it was a good one. Eddie had every intention of keeping the promise he'd made to Carlisle, but sometimes even the best laid plans suffer from a coincidental cock up that even vampires can't predict or side step.

And Eddie's luck, such as it was, ran out for the second time in two days.

He could see the edge of the forest. He could smell the animals within it. He sucked back his venom and put his head down and ran a little faster. He whipped his head from side to side as he ran to make sure that there wasn't anyone obviously watching him. He was running just faster than a human could and he was conscious that he needed to maintain his human posture until he reached the trees.

He almost pulled it off too.

Spruce Drive was the last residential paved road Eddie had to navigate before the safety of the forest could swallow him, and his thirst, up. Mr Weston's SUV had an electrical fault and he'd called a roadside mechanical company from Port Angeles to send someone to fix the problem. That someone was busy loading Mr Weston's SUV onto a flatbed truck in readiness for the trip back to Port Angeles as Eddie neared the property. The sight of Eddie running gave that mechanic cause to look up instead of concentrating on what he was doing and in that split second his fate was sealed.

The bracket that he'd slipped beneath the front tyre of the SUV shifted minutely and caught the edge of the mechanics thumb, splitting it open and releasing its cherry contents to the surrounding air currents.

The scent of fresh blood hit Eddie's nostrils and all his good intentions went south. It was that fast. One whiff of the blood and Eddie's brain switched to vampire and any human notions he had about doing the right thing, or keeping a promise, were history.

In half a second Eddie's new body and brain switched modes and directions and before the mechanics watch ticked over three more seconds he was being held by a very confused, very hungry vampire.

The amount of venom in Eddie's mouth as he sank his teeth into the mechanics neck made it difficult to make a good seal around the two pinhole wounds and that is ultimately what saved the mechanics life. Eddie couldn't suck hard enough to drain him completely because his venom was leaking out the side of his mouth, preventing a perfect seal. He made such a hash of the job that the mechanic began to fight back. His shock had turned into a will to live and as he struggled against an inexperienced predator he saved his own life by screaming.

Alice and Jasper heard the scream and a split second decision was made that Alice would stay in position and Jasper would investigate. Neither knew that their charge had given them the slip but humans didn't scream for nothing, so Jasper took off.

The mechanic continued to scream and Eddie continued to try and suck. But the guy thrashed as though his life depended on it – which of course it did – and howled like a grizzly with its balls caught in a trap.

Jasper, an excellent tracker, took only seconds to locate the direction of the screams and as he rounded the corner and saw that it was Eddie inducing those screams he roared as loud as he could to get the wayward newborns attention. He got it alright. Eddie let the hapless mechanic go and slid into a crouch as Jasper approached.

"Run, Edward," Jasper growled but Eddie was already running and by the time Jasper had reached the now prone body of the mechanic Eddie had reached the trees.

He spared no thought for hanging around and finding out for himself what the outcome of his actions were going to be, he just ran. And ran. And then he ran some more. In no particular direction. He ran until he was sure he was far enough away from the scent of the blood and whichever Cullen it was that had yelled at him.

When Eddie came to a river he slowed and walked to its edge. He stood bent double, hands on his knees sucking in great gulps of the clean air and then he began to shake.

He'd hurt someone. Again. He didn't know if he'd killed the man outright but he knew he'd hurt him. He could still taste the mans blood on his tongue. Pressing it to his palate he closed his eyes and savoured the taste. It was rich and flavourful and it had thrown water over the burning in his throat.

As he stood and tried to calm himself he caught sight of his right hand. The tiny drop of blood would've been invisible to the naked eye but Eddie's vampire one saw it clearly, even through the blur of his unnecessary glasses. The instant his brain recognised the red dot Eddie fainted.

While Eddie lay prone on the forest floor by the river Jasper called for a cleanup.

The Cullen's rallied, as they always did, and it was but minutes before Carlisle was attending to the mechanic and Emmett and Rose were driving his flat bed truck out onto the interstate to dump in a lay-by.

Carlisle calmed the man with a shot of Ativan, an injectable anxiety suppressor, right there on the pavement and then loaded him into his own car. He drove the mechanic to a nearby public park that backed onto the lay-by that his truck would soon appear in and was met by a punctual Esme and Bella. A small plastic bag of amphetamines were handed over and placed in the unfortunate mans hip pocket. A brief anonymous call to 911 ensured that he would be retrieved smartly and any talk of having been fed from would be attributed to amphetamine induced paranoia. It wasn't fair and would likely result in some personal and professional problems but the Cullen's would do their best to minimise those as they came to the fore.

Sending Esme and Bella home and calling Alice to ensure that she and her spouse were once again installed at their post at the Masen house in case Eddie returned to it, Carlisle made his way to the hospital for his normal shift.

The whereabouts of Eddie would be left to Emmett and Rose who were already tracking his scent from the point of the altercation with the mechanic and out into the forest.

Had Carlisle sent Jasper he'd have found him before the hikers did. But the detour with the flatbed meant that Emmett and Rose were forty minutes behind Eddie and by the time they came upon the point where his scent stopped by the river he was already in an ambulance – once again encased in a body bag – and on his way back to Forks Hospital.

Emmett's call to Carlisle connected just as the call came in to the hospital that a body had been found in the forest and was en route.

This time Carlisle was there to take possession of the bag, and subsequently Eddie though Carlisle didn't know that yet, as it came out of the ambulance. It was Carlisle who signed the paperwork to ensure the chain of custody and it was Carlisle who unzipped the bag after he'd laid it out onto the cold, stainless steel bench.

As he suspected it _was_ Eddie in the bag and after alerting the family that he'd located the missing newborn, and informing them that he himself would deal with it personally, the rest of the Cullen's made their way home.

Carlisle busied himself disposing of the paperwork and eliminating any trace of evidence that would alert anyone to the fact that a dead body had been brought in and that the same one wasn't stored in a drawer.

Waking in the morgue a second time was less disorientating for Eddie but no less annoying. He leapt up from the bench and shed his latest black plastic ensemble and was in a crouch, eyes and synapses firing, before Carlisle had stood from the desk.

"How did I get here?" Eddie roared as he craned his neck and balled his hands into fists.

Carlisle shook his head and raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Ambulance, again."

Eddie looked around and cursed quite vividly for only the second time in his life. He cursed whoever it was that had changed him, he cursed god for having forsaken him and he cursed himself for his inability to remain standing when blood was involved.

"What's that?" Carlisle asked quizzically.

"What's what?" Eddie retorted, thinking he was being scolded again, this time for his use of unsavoury language.

"What you said about the sight of blood?" Carlisle asked with a grin.

Eddie ran a hand through his unruly hair and sighed. He hated admitting to his phobias. "I faint at the sight of blood, okay?" he hissed.

Carlisle chuckled but immediately ceased as a low rumbling growl came from Eddie's lips. Holding his hands up in surrender Carlisle smiled, "That explains how you ended up here I guess." He calmed then, the initial panic of the situation leaving his body and brain in a rush as the bigger picture was revealed to him. He moved back a few paces and retook his seat at the desk. "I'm guessing that's how you landed here that first time too. Did you see your mother's blood that night?" he asked a shaken Eddie who began to nod minutely. "I can't smell blood on you now but you may have been wiped down in the ambulance as you were undressed," he added, pointing to the surgical scrubs he'd laid out on the bench.

Eddie cursed again as he realised he was naked. He'd just lost another set of clothing and with it his favourite loafers. He tugged the surgical pants up his thighs and cringed at the thought of having been naked in front of Carlisle. As he drew the surgical top over his head he began to wonder about the man he'd hurt. "Where is the man?" he asked quietly once he was covered.

"Alive and well and being discharged via the emergency department," Carlisle replied, obviously displeased.

"Thank god," Eddie whispered as he leaned himself against the edge of the bench. "I didn't mean it," he added honestly.

Carlisle sighed unhappily, "I know you didn't and I know you couldn't help it either, but that doesn't mean its okay. I know you're confused and I know you don't understand what and who you are now, but you were given the opportunity to learn and you refused to take it."

Accepting the admonishment Eddie nodded, "I know," he sighed. "What happens now?" he asked.

As patient a man as Carlisle was he couldn't tolerate another 'slip' from the wayward newborn and as such felt it was his responsibility to lay down if not the law then at the very least some rules.

"For now I have made your latest mess go away but there can be no more," he said sternly to a suitably remorseful Eddie. "I will take you to your home if you still do not wish to accompany me to mine, but know this Edward; you will not be alone from here on in. You may stay at your family home if that is what you want but one of us will be with you from now on until such a time that we are sure you are no longer a danger to humans. As head of my coven I am responsible for them and because you have no coven of your own I'm responsible for you if you wish to stay in the area. Unfair, possibly, but it's still right. I don't want anyone hurt, including you, so I'm offering to help you. "

Eddie tilted his head to one side and thought on that a moment before answering. "I don't want to hurt anyone," he whispered, "And I do want to stay in my home. I don't want a babysitter; I can cope on my own."

In a rare act of aggression Carlisle disagreed. "No!" he hissed, getting to his feet and advancing on an unprepared Eddie. "You can't cope on your own. You've proven that already. This is no longer negotiable, Edward. You're dangerous. You can't be trusted near the general public. You've killed once and had another go at it again today and I can't allow you to continue trying. Whether you intended to hurt anyone is neither here nor there. You did and you will again because of what you are!" he roared. "You either accept a sitter or I'll end you myself," he spat across the distance between them.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading. **

**Don't be mad at Carlisle for yelling at Eddie, he had it coming and he doesn't listen if spoken to genially. **

**Please review. **


	7. Chapter 7

"_Thesaurusly speaking?" Eddie roars, "That's not even a word and does not constitute an argument."_

"_Yes, thesaurusly speaking," Bella laughs, infuriating Eddie even more than he already was, "you're an idiot, a cretin, a moron imbecile dimwit jerk ignoramus and for good measure an assclown."_

_Yet another doorframe gives up its life in order for Eddie to vent his frustration and he slams the palm of his hand up against it as he stalks from the room. Bella reclines happily on the daybed in her bedroom and basks in the glow of having gotten rid of the little shit for at least an hour or two. _

_After a month of babysitting duties Bella was getting fed up, plus Eddie was far too easy a mark. He always bit and Bella was sick of one-sided fights she always won because Eddie refused to man up and fight back. _

The acceptance of a sitter went against everything Eddie thought of himself. He wasn't a child and even when he had been one he'd never needed a sitter.

Recognising the risk he posed to the general public was one thing, spending every hour with a babysitter to ensure he didn't hurt someone was quite another thing entirely.

Eddie didn't want to hurt anyone but neither did he want a stranger lurking in his house day and night.

Especially when that stranger was a girl!

And such an annoying one. She scolded him and treated him like a baby and even though she was a wealth of information on all things vampire Eddie resented the hell out of her.

He's struck a deal with Carlisle that Bella could be his shadow for at least the first few months and at the time he'd thought it not a bad idea. He could learn all he could from her without having to leave his home, he'd appease Carlisle's worries about how safe he was and best of all he'd not have to have anything to do with the Cullen family.

He liked Carlisle, he tolerated Bella, but he wasn't interested in joining the family. He had a life of his own and he didn't want to give that up. That meant gritting his teeth and putting up with Bella until such a time that she reported to Carlisle that Eddie was safe.

Bella, for her part, resented the hell out of Carlisle for insisting she take Eddie under her wing. Rose and Emmett were attending colleges in Port Angeles and Alice and Jasper were attending Forks High so that left either Bella or Esme. The two women had just agreed that they'd take turns – day on day off – to see Eddie through the first few months of his adjustment when Carlisle stepped in and took the decision away from them.

Esme couldn't be seen turn about with a young single man in and about the town. It just wasn't proper, so that left Bella. Happily enjoying her first and so far only year of no school, to say that Bella was unhappy with the decision was an understatement. Carlisle doubted that Esme would ever truly be able to forget some of the names Bella called her that night. Carlisle himself had had to research two of the terms she'd used on the internet and when he'd found them he had hung his head in his hands and cursed modern women.

For many reasons Carlisle thought he knew what he was doing. One, he really did believe that Bella being the most recently changed among them would be the one who could help Eddie the most and two, she was closest to his actual age.

Also, as head of the coven it was his responsibility to assign such tasks and even though he wasn't Bella's sire he was her father and he knew she'd do as he asked eventually.

Besides, he's seen with his own eyes how she'd taken him into her arms the day he'd risen. He'd discussed so many facets of that first visit and how he needed her to behave and react but they'd never discussed _that_. That had been something she'd done on her own. For all her bluster and bravado over the years she was a very kind girl and when faced with confusion and fear such as Eddie had exhibited her natural personality had come to the fore.

Of course she'd reverted to the snarky, eye rolling uninterested girl she usually was as soon as she'd released the boy from the embrace, but Carlisle had seen her eyes as she'd turned away from Eddie. Bella cared what happened to him whether she admitted it to anybody else or not. Bella had been alone for such a long time. She might insist she liked things that way, but Carlisle thought he knew better.

The same could not be said for Eddie. He didn't care what happened to the Cullen's and he especially didn't care what happened to Bella Cullen.

Two days into his 'arrangement' with Carlisle, Eddie was having second, third and fourth thoughts. The girl was a nuisance. She followed him everywhere he went within the house and asked so many questions Eddie hadn't had a moment's peace in the whole two days.

She'd criticised everything he did and rolled her eyes at everything he asked or said as a matter of statement. Nothing suited her and nothing was as she liked it.

The house was stuffy. The furniture was old and worn. His car was a joke, his clothes outdated, his hair ridiculous. He didn't own a computer or a cell phone and had no internet connection. His books were all nonfiction and the music he listened to was old fashioned and in her words 'dire'.

Even his personal habits seemed to irritate her. He bathed morning and night and that bothered her for some reason he couldn't explain. His meticulous note taking – from his notepad in the bathroom to his diary, the chores list on the fridge and the grocery list – all made her huff and puff for reasons she wasn't willing to share. There was simply no pleasing her.

The only thing they did together that eased the tension was run.

Within hours of Bella arriving at her new post at the Masen house Eddie's thirst reared its ugly head. He battled silently through it for as long as he could but when he cupped his hand to his throat for the fourth time in an hour Bella rolled her eyes and clucked her tongue and told him to stop being a baby and to admit he was thirsty.

Of course Eddie refused to do any such thing and by the time Bella had had enough of his not so subtle moans and groans and insisted _she_ needed to hunt Eddie was at the end of his rope.

Knowing he was suffering and was embarrassed about it made Bella stand patiently while he checked and rechecked, locked unlocked and relocked both the front and back doors before they set off. He was the strangest boy she'd ever met. Repressed to the point of disturbance Bella simply couldn't understand how a person his age could've gotten to the point in his life where he'd completely missed every social convention and fad known to man.

The pair ran at a casual jog to the end of Spruce Drive, as Eddie had done himself the day before, but it was only Eddie who spared a quick glance at the site where he'd pounced on that poor, poor man. Bella didn't hesitate and Eddie had to increase his pace to catch up.

When they'd reached the edge of the forest Bella took off in a dead sprint, calling over her shoulder for 'nerd-boy' to get his skates on.

Eddie had never skated in his life but got the gist. Striding out he caught her easily and the race was on.

"Due east," Bella shouted as Eddie took off ahead of her. Stupid git she thought as she did her best to follow as closely as she could. She'd used the time Eddie had spent pissing about with his locks to text Emmett. The others were poised to get themselves out into the section of the forest she intended to herd Eddie towards. There would be no repeat performances of his crossing the scent of a human on her watch. By now the others would be fanned out in a wide circle and she could teach the idiot to hunt without needing to worry about him losing his head over a human.

Christ he was fast though!

It took all her concentration to keep him in her sight line as they ran. He ducked and weaved like a pro and by the time she called to him to stop and had caught up to him she was beyond pissy. Competitive by nature he'd just outshone her on what she assumed was his very first run. Bella was fast, as fast as Emmett when she concentrated, but Eddie was faster and she hoped that once his newborn phase was over she'd be able to trounce him. She was really looking forward to shoving that in his stupid, coke bottle glasses covered face!

Coming to a stop within a few feet of him she ranged her hearing out around them and tried to pick up any sound that would mean they had gone far enough to indulge the newbie's thirst with something substantial.

There, to the left, she heard the telltale thumps of hearts and the matching scents of a small herd of mule deer. Raising her finger to her mouth to warn him to be quiet she raised her eyebrows in the direction of the sounds and scents. "What do you hear?" she whispered.

Eddie, new as he was, heard nothing until she suggested he close his eyes and concentrate. It took a few seconds but he did hear the snuffling eventually. "Something rooting around," he whispered in reply.

"Smell?" she asked efficiently.

Eddie took a deep breath in. He didn't know what it was but it smelled delicious. Not as delicious as humans, but delicious enough to make him want it. Opening his eyes he asked whomever his deity was that this girl wasn't going to scold him if he got this wrong. "What is it?" he asked carefully, nostrils flaring.

"Mule deer," she replied and pointed to where a clump of trees parted and opened into a small clearing. "Stay low," she suggested as she tugged on his sleeve so he'd follow her lead. She knew and understood how instinctual hunting was, but she also realised this kid had no idea what he was doing and was probably afraid. As they came to where the trees parted she tugged his sleeve again and they both ducked behind a large boulder to watch the wary deer. "You have to approach up wind or they scatter," she instructed to a nodding Eddie. "They're shit scared of us, everything is," she said with yet another roll of her eyes, "so if they hear you or smell you they'll take off and I don't think you're ready to crash tackle on the run yet." Pointing to the group of four females and two babies on the right and then moving her finger line to the large male on the left she began coaching Eddie on the rules. "We don't take down the babies and we avoid the males if we can. They're needed to keep the herd strong. So go for one of the big females. She'll protect her baby if she has one so if you can isolate her that'd be good," she told a frantic Eddie.

His venom was a lake in his mouth and his fingers were twitching like he needed a fix. He stared wide eyed at the animals for a few minutes and then turned to Bella. "Any advice how to get it to the ground?" he asked hopefully.

Recalling what Esme had told her on her first hunt Bella smiled and laid a calming hand on Eddie's forearm. "It's all instinct, Eddie. Trust me. Just catch one and once you've got a hold of it bring it to the ground any way that feels right, trust that your body knows what to do."

It was her smile that made Eddie believe her. He nodded firmly and then slipped between the trees as quietly and as low to the ground as he could. Choosing his victim randomly he kept his eyes on it as he approached. Slipping into an instinctual crouch a low rumble began in his chest and burst forth from his lips as he pounced.

It was a beautiful leap Bella thought as she watched him from the cover of the trees. He had natural grace which surprised her. On foot, tottering around in his old man's house he was a bumbling, stumbling fool. Running and leaping he was magnificent.

As the rest of the herd scattered in terror Eddie caught the big female with his bare hands around its neck and with one quick tug he had it on the ground and pinned there with his knee. His venom didn't need bringing on because he was so hungry, but as nature did its thing inside his brain he licked his canines and his venom began to flow even more. Baring his teeth and finally getting a chance to let go of his long held in roar Eddie closed his lips over the neck of the animal and sunk his teeth into the warm flesh beneath his lips.

He closed his eyes as the liquid began to pool at the wounds and for the first time since rising he had the time to savour the flavour as well as the flow. He didn't need to hurry. There was no fear of being caught. It wasn't wrong this time. It was just feeding and it felt and tasted good. The rush he got as the fluid coated his tongue was sanguine in its makeup. For the first time since rising he felt good. The flavour was woodsy and not at all like the human blood had he ingested, but it was warm and it did ease the fire in the back of his throat. Moaning softly with each pull he took Eddie revelled in the feeling and the taste.

It was the moaning that bothered Bella most. Not because it was bad table manners but because it made her ache. She wasn't thirsty herself, and she had watched everyone in her family feed over the years without her own thirst igniting, but this was different. Watching Eddie hold that deer to his chest and hearing his pleasure as he drank did something odd to Bella. It made her want him and that was no good. No good at all.

Bella understood what bloodlust was and she understood the correlation between feeding and fucking. The euphoria of the hunt was almost always coupled with the need for sex and her family indulged this custom for themselves, often. It was why Bella preferred to hunt alone.

She would often be left standing in a culvert on her own while pairs ran off to find a quiet, hidden place to slake their other needs and Bella would have to make the journey home alone. She hated that. So she begged off group hunts as often as she could manage and hunted alone. She hated listening to her siblings pleasure and she hated having to deal with her own arousal alone.

But this was quite possibly worse.

Bella had been a vampire for fourteen years and she'd never wanted anyone. Nobody. No mortal and certainly no other vampire she'd ever encountered. She'd been set up, sent on blind dates and had suitable suitors arranged for her by everyone she knew and she'd ignored every single one of them.

But the sight before her stirred her like nothing and nobody ever had.

With his hair off his face and his crimson eyes glazed from the bliss sliding down his throat Eddie looked like a cool drink of water in the desert to Bella.

And it irritated her. It irritated and annoyed her and it woke in her the first ever feelings of desire she'd felt for anyone. And it was for Nerd-boy!

Eddie, for his part, was oblivious to the change in Bella's scent that an experienced vampire would've known to be desire. But Eddie wasn't experienced – he was barely a vampire to that end – and he'd never experienced his own desire, let alone anyone else's. His head was so filled with triumph that he didn't notice the soft smile on her face as he pranced back to where she was crouched beyond the rock.

"I did it!" he crowed as he slipped behind the boulder and sank down to his haunches beside her. "Did you see me? I really did it!"

He was so proud of himself, and he had done a brilliant job, but Bella was so disgusted with her reaction to his success that she hid it behind her usual curtain of sarcasm. Her soft smile turned into a sneer as she got to her feet, "If aliens were searching for intelligent life and they saw your hunting technique, they'd leave," she hissed. Without waiting for his reply she began the run home.

Had it been that bad Eddie wondered to himself as he too got to his feet and began to jog along behind her. He didn't think it had been. He'd pounced and brought the deer to the ground without any trouble at all. Sure, his waterfall of venom had made the actual suction difficult but even he knew that that would improve once he could hunt effectively and more often. He had some dirt on his trousers and a few drops of deer blood on his finger but...

Bella heard the thud as Eddie's body crumpled to the ground and by the time she turned he was laid out prone on the forest floor. "Eddie!" she screamed in panic as she doubled back towards him. She called his name two more times before deciding that his lack of consciousness was beyond her realm of knowledge or expertise. With no response and no idea what had caused his fall, or his oblivion, she withdrew her cell and dialled Carlisle. "He's down!" she shouted into it when the call connected.

"What happened?" Carlisle demanded as he motioned for Esme's cell that he knew she had in her pocket. Dialling Emmett he listened to Bella's description of the incident and after he told her to sit tight, that they were all converging on her position, he spoke with this son. "Call Jasper, get to Bella's position. He's down."

Within minutes Eddie was surrounded by seven very concerned vampires all demanding explanations. But Eddie wasn't home. The lights were on but the occupants of his brain were off having a nice candlelight dinner in a posh French restaurant and weren't answering the door. The staff were off duty and so was Eddie. He'd checked out.

Carlisle, already knowing what the connection was with Eddie and blood, told them all to calm down and to give him some space. The family backed off, except for Bella. She refused to move. She sat right where they'd found her. On her ass in the mud with Eddie's head cradled in her lap, his limp lifeless body stretched out between her legs. She was stroking the side of his face with her fingers and murmuring to him that 'everything would be alright, just hold on'. When Carlisle raised his eye brows at her refusal to move she hissed and he left her to it. There was nothing medically wrong with Eddie and there was nothing anyone could do, so apart from Carlisle discreetly wiping the blood droplets off Eddie's fingers they all simply stood around and waited for him to come to on his own.

There were strange expressions passed around between the six Cullen's who weren't on the ground with the newborn, but Bella was oblivious and Carlisle was careful to make sure the others remained silent about it. None of them had ever seen Bella behave the way she did as Eddie lay prone on the ground in her arms, and even though Carlisle had experienced her tenderness the day Eddie rose, this was yet another side of Bella he'd never witnessed. A protective, almost territorial, Bella.

It took forty minutes for Eddie's brain to reboot and when it did he was up, growling and hissing and just as dazed and disoriented as he had been the two times before.

"How do you feel?" Carlisle asked carefully as Eddie began turning in a circle staring at each new Cullen in turn. Eddie didn't reply. "This is the rest of my family," Carlisle whispered calmly when he realised that Eddie hadn't ever met the others formally, and that might be adding to his discomfort. "This is Emmett and Rose and this is Alice and this is my wife, Esme," he said as he pointed to each of them in turn. "Do you remember Jasper from yesterday?" he asked.

Eddie grunted in recognition but was too confused to take in much of anything. He remembered feeding, and how good it had felt, and he remembered running after Bella but after that nothing. And then he recalled seeing the blood on his fingertips. Hesitantly looking down at his balled fist and released his fingers one by one he was expecting to see the red horror he'd seen earlier. But it wasn't there.

"It's gone," Bella whispered from behind him, making him turn sharply on his heel and stare at her. She didn't understand why he'd fainted but she was a smart cookie. She'd noticed when Carlisle had wiped off the blood even if the others hadn't, and Eddie's reaction to what he thought should still be there was enough for her to know that it had something to do with his fall.

Turning to face Carlisle, Eddie did what he had been groomed to do. He stuck out his hand and waited for Carlisle to shake it. "Thank you," he said above their clasped hands. "I'm heading home." And with a curt nod to Esme, as this group's leader's wife, he began a slow jog in the direction of Forks.

"Should I follow?" Bella asked nobody in particular as the family stood open mouthed staring at the retreating back of the newborn.

"I can go," Esme offered but Carlisle was already shaking his head at his wife.

Bella had turned to keep an eye on which direction her charge was heading so she didn't see Carlisle put his fingers to his lips to silence his wife, and nor did she see the grin that came to Carlisle's mouth as she refused Esme's offer and told the family that it was her job and she'd see them at home at some point.

With Eddie in sight but running on ahead Bella ran the events of the afternoon over in her mind. Blood and Eddie. Eddie and blood. He'd woken in the morgue before rising as a vampire but what had Carlisle said about his mother? She'd been struck on the head by an unknown intruder and had died on the floor in her bedroom, Eddie unconscious beside her. Had there been blood from the blow? She didn't know. And then yesterday he'd ended up in the morgue again. Jasper had said there was blood on his hands as he'd dropped that mechanic on the concrete and fled into the forest. Eddie and blood. Blood and Eddie.

Holy fuck! Eddie had a phobia about blood!

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was so ridiculous, and so very Eddie, both at the same time. A vampire who fainted at the sight of blood! Jesus Christ. She'd been right to wonder how he'd survived as long as he had, even as a human he was a cluster-fuck of contradictions. But as a vampire? How in hell was a vampire going to survive if he fainted at the sight of blood?

Jogging up to where Eddie stood at the edge of the trees Bella came to a halt at his side. Why he hadn't gone forward and just run home wasn't clear to her, but she could guess it had something to do with his encounter with the mechanic. She remembered the quiet panic in his voice as he confessed to having killed the morgue attendant and she knew, without asking, that his guilt and shame for having hurt someone else was what was making him balk now.

Reaching across the space between them Bella put a hand to his shoulder. He flinched but she didn't retreat. "It'll be okay," she said softly. "I can help you with your blood issue," she stated calmly.

Shaking her hand off Eddie whipped his head around and hissed right into her face, "I don't have a blood issue, I don't need your help and I don't need your sarcasm." He didn't wait to see the anguish on her face as he turned on his heel and ran down Spruce Drive and towards his home.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading. **

**Please review. **


	8. Chapter 8

"_Oh, the hypochondria force is strong in this one," Bella drawled as Edward spat the toothpaste into the basin. _

"_Good dental hygiene isn't a mark of hypochondria and you'd know that if you read something other than those ridiculous chick lit's you insist on buying," Eddie hissed at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. _

_Leaning against the door jamb, watching him go through his bizarre nightly routine Bella began to laugh. "Chick lit's?" she crowed. "Oooh, has Edward Cullen been studying popular vernacular out of class?"_

_Use of the word vernacular stopped Edward in his tracks far more than the use of his full name. She knew what the word vernacular meant? _

_Embarrassed to have been caught studying modern language trends he pushed his way past her and insisted she go to her own bedroom, slamming the door after her retreat hard enough to make the pictures in their frames on the hall wall shake. _

_Hmmm, thought Bella, it's been five weeks and he's still biting. I must thank Emmett for the bait she laughed to herself as she went into her own room to make herself comfortable with a 'chick lit' novel._

* * *

As the first week of Eddie's new existence came to its end the occupants of the Masen house were circling each other like territorial house cats. If one left a room the other would sigh in relief. When one entered a room the other occupied the original inhabitant bristled and snarled.

They each sniffed a room to determine if the other was in it before entering and they both moved as if one was the positive and the other the negative polarity of a magnet if they did happen to be together. Everywhere was too close, nowhere was far enough.

They didn't speak unless it was necessary and those instances were few and far between by mutual choice. Eddie's routine continued as normal – though things inside his head were far from normal – and Bella stayed in an orbit just outside his.

Bella was so bored because Eddie did nothing interesting or anything of worth as far as she could tell. He laid the table for breakfast, lunch and dinner though nothing would ever be eaten. He did his 'chores' – from what Bella mentally referred to as his 'pussy whipped list' on the refrigerator – and other than that he was in his bedroom scratching down notes about god only knew what.

Bella read her book, listened to her iPod, watched TV and read the papers after he'd finished with them. And she was bored. Mind numbingly bored.

In the evenings, when the neighbourhood quieted down, the pair went to opposite ends of the house. There were no wishes of a good evening, no niceties about how the other was to spend their hours and no pleasantries when the dawn broke and they passed each other within the house.

Eddie was in the middle of a very steep learning curve. He was never going to close his eyes and lose himself in the quiet comfort of sleep ever again. It had come as one of a series of shocks as Bella attempted to indoctrinate him into the world of a vampire as fast as she could. The faster Eddie got with the program the faster she could return to her own life.

Each morning at seven Esme would come to the Masen house and stand watch in the yard – at Eddie's insistence she never entered the house and she was never introduced properly to him - while Bella returned home to shower and change her clothes, and to collect anything she needed for the day. At eight when Bella returned she would meet her dam in the trees and receive whatever report Esme had for her. There was nothing whatsoever to report. Ever.

Eddie stayed inside the house, quite content to be free of his sitter for at least the hour. He would use the time to shower and change his clothes without needing to suffer through the awful girl's taunts and petty heckling.

As he stood under the warming spray of his ancient shower head Eddie looked ruefully at his flaccid appendage. He had no idea whether his inability to sleep was keeping his morning erection at bay but it was beginning to seriously bother him. The only thing he knew for certain was that he wouldn't be asking Isabella Cullen about it.

His eyes seemed to be worsening too. He was down to his second last pair of spare glasses and the prescription on those was already three years old. Soon he'd be totally blind and it was one more thing he wasn't going to get into with the girl. So he said nothing. Better to deal with slowly going blind than to listen to Bella rant and rave about his stupidity, or his inability to 'survive' on his own.

She'd made her opinion on his glasses quite clear. They were old, out of style, out of date and they made him look like an old man. In fact, everything about Eddie made him look like an old man to Ms Cullen.

She'd criticised his clothing and his shoes. His use of his father's robe and the aftershave he wore. She'd mentioned that his hair was too long, too scruffy and that he hid behind it like a child.

She disliked everything about him and yet she stayed. Ruing the day he made his bargain with Carlisle, Eddie only looked forward to the one thing he could actually do well. Hunting.

Eddie loved the hunt. He loved the run towards the forest and the subsequent race he'd have with the horrible girl. He loved that she couldn't catch him. He loved that her eyes blazed her anger and frustration when he stood, hands on hips, waiting for her at the designated spot. He loved that he could take an animal to the ground so easily and he loved that he'd fed three times without spilling any blood or fainting.

His confidence on the hunt was his one true moment of joy in his new life. He could chase down any animal he came across and he could bring it to the ground with ease. He'd mastered what she'd referred to that first time as 'tackling on the run' and he had a little more control over the flow of his venom now he was regularly fed so that seemed to have sorted out his lack of suction problem.

It also sorted out the blood issue. Less venom equalled more suction. More suction equalled a cleaner kill with no spillage that equalled Eddie jogging home without passing out in front of the sitter.

She always let him go on ahead after he'd hunted and whilst he didn't know why, he found he didn't much care. He loved the running as much as the hunting and it was just one more small thing that had come naturally to a guy who'd never come to anything naturally as a human.

But Bella knew why she ran home behind Eddie. She knew and she hated herself for it. But she did know.

When Eddie fed Bella got aroused. It was as impossible to explain the second and third time it had happened as it had been the first. And she hated him for it.

So Bella always returned to the edge of Spruce Drive behind Eddie so that she could gather her thoughts before they reached civilisation. It was also so she could watch his ass as he ran, but she'd deny that if asked.

His scent after hunting heightened and she found the spicy, earthy scent kicked her libido into overdrive every time. Knowing it and avoiding it were two different things, however. So Bella indulged her senses and followed behind him in the wake of his pungent scent.

By the time they reached the edge of the trees she was quite in control of herself and always, always, began their jog home with a snarky, insulting comment about his hunting technique.

It made her happy to see his face fall as they took their first steps onto the road. It made her happy to burst his bubble. She hated her reaction to him and she was punishing him for something he had no idea he'd done. And rationally she knew he hadn't done anything at all. And that infuriated her further. He was so unaware of his effect on her that that too made her angry.

And so the cycle went.

Of a morning Bella went home to shower and change – and masturbate to the last image of him hunting she had stored in her cavernous brain – and Eddie would stand in his shower and wonder why his dick wasn't working anymore.

Bella would return receive the most boring situation report on the planet from Esme, and then slip into the house to annoy Eddie however she could.

It was only whilst out hunting that they worked in tandem. Eddie trying to prove to Bella that he was competent. Bella trying to hide her desire at that competency.

On day nine things began to get sticky. Eddie wanted to go to the post office to pay the utilities. Of course that was a bad idea on so many levels, but Bella's frustration with the situation, Eddie himself and for herself, exploded in a heated argument.

"You can't pay your god dammed bills," she sneered at him as he sat at the kitchen table with this check book in front of him. "You're dead. Remember? Dead guys don't pay their bills."

"Well someone has to pay them or the gas and electric will be cut off," he snorted crabbily.

"You don't need electricity or gas!" she countered. "You don't get cold so you don't need the heating and you can see without the lights!"

"I do need it," he insisted. "How will I run the washer or the dryer without the electricity? How will I have hot water for my shower without the gas? I'm sure you have both these basic conveniences at your precious Cullen house," he added nastily.

He had a point but Bella was beyond admitting it. She slammed her fist down on the table, startling him so much his glasses slipped down his nose. "This is why we told you to close out your life you stupid moron," she hissed. "You're dead. You have to get that through your thick head. D-E-A-D," she spelled out childishly. "If you send checks off in your own name the gig's up."

She made a good case but Eddie wasn't willing to admit it either. "Then I'll go to the bank and withdraw the funds and pay cash. Happy?" he asked with a self satisfied smirk.

Huffing in exasperation Bella stalked the length of the kitchen, back and forth twice before rounding on him. "How are you going to explain that a dead guy accessed his own bank account, Eddie-kins?" she taunted.

Totally ignoring her very valid point Eddie chose that moment to latch onto the nickname, rather than the logic in her accusation. "What did you just call me?" he roared back at her across the table.

Bella smiled then, delighted that she'd managed to irritate him to the point where he'd raised his voice. It was rare and she was getting sick of goody-two-shoes Eddie Masen. There had to be a man in there if she was sexually attracted to him. She'd ask for a refund if there wasn't.

"Eddie-kins," she mocked, "I called you Eddie-kins. I figured you wouldn't mind. It was probably something your precious mommy called you anyway, right? Right before she changed your diaper and tucked you into bed at night."

Insulting him was one thing – and it did make his blood boil, or whatever it was that flowed through his veins now – but insulting his mother was about eight steps too far.

Bella, in her defence, regretted the statement the second it left her lips. But Eddie was beyond apologies by the time Bella began to make one and as he leapt at her across the kitchen table and took her to the ground he was growling steadily.

"How dare you!" he bellowed as he rolled with her between his hands until he had the upper hand and she was beneath him. "You don't know anything about my life. You didn't know my mother," he hissed.

Pinned by his knees and shocked but aroused by his aggressive response – his first physically aggressive response to her in over a week, which was rare for a newborn – Bella tried to block out the flashing red eyes as they bore into her. She did her best to ignore the ambrosial scent of his venom and the delicious feeling of being trapped beneath his muscular thighs. Too late though. Her libido took the second between his shout and her decision to fight back to whack her upside the head and release into her system a rush of adrenalin and arousal. It was a heady mix. But Bella wasn't in a mood to listen to her libido.

Shoving him hard, both palms against his abs, she managed to shift him just enough to bring up her knee, and as most females are able to do, she located his junk with startling accuracy. "I didn't need to know your mother to know she helped turn you into this pathetic...this pathetic, um...well, you're pathetic!" she spat as she clambered to her feet.

Eddie didn't hear her stumble over the insult because he was busy trying to swallow. She'd kneed him so hard he swore he could taste his own testicles as they'd flown up to the back of his throat, and god alone only knew what damage she'd done to his dick. He coughed and spluttered and groaned and all the while Bella paced along the edge of the rubble of what used to be Eddie's kitchen dining suite. "She was a wonderful woman who loved me," Eddie panted through his pain, determined to continue defending his mother.

Why the man didn't know when to shut up Bella couldn't comprehend. Bending down so she was close to his agonised face she decided now was as good a time as any to point out the errors in his ideals. With him prone, cupping his wedding vegetables as he was, he was no threat to her for what she guessed was the next five minutes at least.

"Wonderful or not she kept you from the world," Bella ranted. "You have no idea what's going on around you!" she snorted. "How do you expect to cope not knowing how to conduct day to day business?" she fumed. "You wasted your human life hiding here playing the role of your father, and for what? You've turned into an old man before your time and what has it gotten you, huh? A nice case of hypochondria and some serious OCD tendencies. Big fucking deal," she seethed. "You hide behind that mop of hair but you were invisible long before you died, weren't you Eddie?" she asked rhetorically. "Where are all the mourners, Eddie? Where are all your friends? That phone hasn't rung in the nine days I've been here," she raged, pointing to the silent house phone on its little doily on the little spindly table by the door. "If your parents cared so much about you why did they lock you away here? Why don't you have anyone? All the good manners and oral hygiene in the world can't make up for missing out on experiencing your own life you moron."

The pain in Eddie's groin subsided long before Bella took a breath, but a new one settled in his gut as she began again. This pain hurt more than his balls did as they'd connected with her knee. This ache was soul deep. This agony was something for which there was no cure. This hurt was the sting of the truth hitting Eddie in the chest first, gut second and his heart third.

"There's a whole fucking world out there and you've been given the perfect opportunity to see it at will, and you're wasting it!" Bella continued as she paced back and forth in front of a gaping Eddie. "Okay, so you had a shit time being changed the way you did, boo fucking hoo for you. None of us chose it either, and we manage. We don't hide, we don't mope, and we don't sit around polishing forty year old shoes on a Saturday night. We go out and we play and we dance and sing and raise hell, like we're supposed to, because we're forever in our prime. You can't sit in this fucking house forever and you know it. _I'm_ not going to sit in this house with you forever that's for fucking sure. I'm going to be this young forever and so are you, we're never going to change, Eddie. We'll look like this forever and I'm not going to sit here and watch you waste that. You can do whatever you want now. You've been given a second chance; you _have_ to run with it. You're a smart guy, I know you are. I've heard you in your room writing and I've seen some of the shit you read. You went to college for fucks sake; you've got a brain why don't you use it? Hiding in this house will eat you alive, Eddie. It will. You'll go insane if you hide here and I don't want to watch that happen," she finished with a huff as she collapsed onto the floor beside him.

They were both quiet for a few minutes and when Bella rolled onto her back so did Eddie. Together they laid there staring at the ceiling, each lost in their own thoughts. Eddie mulled over everything she'd said and Bella cursed herself for having said it.

For an entire hour they lay there in total silence. With no need to breathe there wasn't a sound inside the house to distract them. So it startled Bella when Eddie spoke. "I don't like you," he whispered as he inched his hand across the linoleum to where hers rested.

"I don't like you much either," Bella whispered as she snaked her little finger out and linked hers with his.

And so they laid there for another good while in total silence. Pinky fingers twisted around each other, staring at the ceiling and thinking about how in hell they'd gotten where they were. This time it was Bella who broke the silence, and it was Eddie's turn to startle. "I like your glasses," she whispered as she stretched her hand out beneath his and closed her eyes in the hope that he'd clasp it fully.

"I like your smile," Eddie ventured tentatively and wove his fingers through hers.

Feeling bold Bella turned on her side a little and gave Eddie a nervous smile when he mirrored the move. "You can't stay here much longer," she whispered.

It wasn't an accusation or an insult this time and Eddie knew it for what it was. Her gentle smile and the soft squeeze she gave his hand echoed the anguish he saw in her eyes. She did care what happened to him. He didn't know why and for right now it didn't matter. "I've never lived anywhere else. All I know is here," he admitted cautiously.

"I felt the same when we left Oregon," she whispered, giving Eddie his first insight into where she'd come from. "I was afraid," she admitted. "And it took a while to get used to not being near familiar things, but it got better. It'll get better for you too. I'll help, we all will, and you aren't going far."

Eddie thought about that for a little while, Bella's gaze watching the emotions flit across his face. For once his floppy hair wasn't hiding his face and she could study him with impunity. Not knowing how much his features had changed since he'd been human made it easier for Bella to appreciate how beautiful he was now. Even with his glasses on his eyes were expressive and it was easy to see why people said they were the windows to the soul. His lips were full and pink and his nose was proud and straight. She liked the way he looked when he wasn't scowling at her in frustration.

"I don't know who I am," he said suddenly. Bella considered that it may be a self contained statement and was about to reply when he continued. "I don't know how to do most things because I've never had to. Father and mother always did them. I'm afraid to fail," he ended sadly.

Bella could see he was sincere in his fear. And she conceded that she probably hadn't helped him with that fear because she'd been chiding him and goading him since the instant they met. She probably wouldn't stop doing it because she loved it when he let his temper get the better of him and he forgot about being a meek push over. She'd been honest with herself when she'd recognised her desire for him. She didn't want a sap, she didn't want a boy, she wanted a man. She wanted a confident man who knew who and what he was, and she wanted a man who was prepared to take his life by the horns and live it.

Remembering what Carlisle had told her when it had been her afraid to try new things she told Eddie what she knew to be true, "Failure is just the proof that you tried."

Eddie understood proof. He liked proof in all things. Real evidence that either proved or disproved a theory and so he could see the merit in her words. He nodded just once and squeezed her tiny hand a little harder. "I think I'd like you to call me Edward from now on. Eddie Masen Junior is dead."

Bella smiled approvingly. It was a huge concession. A bigger one than she thought he'd make so soon and she found that she was proud of him. "Well, Edward, I think it's time to close out Eddie's life, huh?"

Eddie didn't need to say anything because he'd come to the same conclusion himself just seconds before so he simply nodded. It was time to say goodbye to Eddie.

But not yet he thought as he rolled back onto his back. In a few minutes maybe.

Bella rolled onto her back too and stared back up at the water mark on the kitchen ceiling, pleased that Eddie wasn't in a hurry to move just yet. She brushed her thumb across the back of his hand and smiled to herself when he did the same to hers.

Yes, in a little while they'd get up and make a start. In a little while.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading. **

**Please review. **


	9. Chapter 9

"_You aren't Pandora the Explorer, Eddie," Bella announced with a hiss, hands on hips. "You can't run off like that. I can't protect you like that!"_

_Flinching at the use of his old name, and more than a little pissed off at the insult, Edward rose from his armchair and towered over her. "I don't need your protection, little girl, I'm a vampire," he hissed right back, letting Bella get a good whiff of his venom as he did. _

_Edward didn't stalk off this time and there was no telltale slamming of a door or the crunch of a fist meeting a wall as evidence of another of their fights. He simply sat back down in his armchair and took up his newspaper and continued reading. _

_Well, thought Carlisle who was sitting at his desk one floor down with his fingers steepled, seems that Edward might have grown a pair and that Bella might finally have met her match. Returning to his journal Carlisle smiled smugly. Yes, after two weeks living under the Cullen roof Edward may just have found his place in his new life. _

_He winced when Bella raced past his study door and cringed as she slammed the front door as she barrelled through it. _

_Okay, it wasn't exactly paradise yet, but it was getting there._

* * *

It was a pact between the two that once Eddie Masen Junior's life was packed and finished Bella would begin to call him Edward. They didn't speak on it, or spit in their palms and make a promise; they just got up off the kitchen floor and began making plans for extracting a new man from his old life.

It took just two days to end a life.

Whether that was because the Cullen's were so well versed in making it happen, or because there wasn't much of a life to end, was for an observer of the process to decide.

But it took forty-eight hours to make Eddie Masen Junior disappear. And, sadly for Eddie, Edward Senior and Agnes were disappeared along with his former life.

Bella had informed Carlisle that Eddie was ready to begin fresh and Carlisle had set the wheels in motion. He praised Bella for her patience with the boy and for finally making him see that he just wasn't ready to be on his own.

While Bella accepted her father's praise with a smile she couldn't help the knot in her stomach when she thought about how she'd felt when she'd had to close out her own life. It had been hard to let go of whom she'd been but it had been just as hard to give up the life and home she'd shared with Charlie Swan.

She still owned the property she'd inherited from Charlie, but she hadn't returned to it as yet. It was too soon she told herself every time it was suggested that she go back to Oregon. Or when the normal travel plans of the Cullen's as a group took her near enough to have made a side trip. She just wasn't ready. She'd lost more than just her childhood home and her father there. She'd lost herself.

As difficult as it was going to be for Eddie to give up his home, Bella knew that leaving behind a piece of himself was going to be harder still. Not the packing of physical things. Not the change of name and not the locking of the door once the house was empty. It would be the knowledge that he no longer existed as his true self, and he never would again, that was going to tear him up inside.

So Bella did her best to not nag or nitpick as Eddie began the task of sorting through his home. Her siblings, Carlisle and Esme too, came to help with the task of disposing of the furniture and his car to various charities, but Bella stuck by Eddie's side. She was there with her hand to his lower back when he emptied his parent's closet and she was there, holding his floppy copper locks off his face, as he cried for his mother when he sifted through her meagre jewellery collection.

Her siblings worked quickly and quietly to empty the house of the things he wouldn't need at the Cullen house while she helped Eddie empty his memories into packing crates. Photo albums of him as a child. His parent's beloved wedding gifts and even his grandparent's histories written down in long faded journals all went into boxes to be held in storage until he could face them in years to come.

Always a meticulous record keeper Eddie didn't need long to collect and box up the paperwork he needed to close accounts and to realise his assets. That would all be done at the Cullen house so those boxes went on ahead. Jasper assured him that it was possible to take possession of his own money in time and that if he wanted to he could sell the home and collect the funds from that too, but Eddie didn't want to consider that. He was shocked to learn that none of the Cullen's had gone that route either. They all still owned their own family properties and whilst some were closed or boarded up others were rented out and netted them an income. Eddie liked that idea best. But not because of the money. He liked to think that another family could live in his home and make a life while he couldn't. Jasper promised he'd be able to make that happen.

When it came to the bathroom Bella had to stifle laugh after laugh at the contents of the medicine cabinet and Eddie's collection of notepads that were stored, in perfect chorological order no less, under the cabinet. Promising he would never need those again she convinced him – with a little help from Carlisle, who Eddie was happy to believe because he was a doctor rather than just a vampire – to throw it all away.

Relieved he didn't have prostate cancer, hormonal imbalance induced alopecia, the beginnings of liver, kidney, heart and renal cancer as well as stomach ulcers and gum disease, he accepted Carlisle's word that he was now immune to each and every disease and condition he'd listed, as well as every other disease and condition on the planet. He was immortal and apart from being beheaded – which Bella giggled at because she'd wanted to knock his block off from day one – he wasn't likely to die anytime soon.

Immortality was something Eddie hadn't ever aspired to, nor had he ever wished for it as children sometimes do when thinking of super heroes. It came as quite a shock that all his worry had been for nothing and that he was now virtually indestructible. The grin on Bella's face told him she might have several ways to 'end' him which he was beginning to realise was Carlisle's way of saying 'kill'. Very refined but scary as hell. It made his ass cheeks clench.

So the medicine cabinet was emptied and his stock of medical texts and notepads were sent off to the tip leaving the bathroom clear and just his personal effects in his bedroom left to sort.

Ignoring the nagging feeling in his head that he should've taken Carlisle aside and asked about his erectile 'issues' Eddie moved into his room with a sigh of regret at his weakness.

The other Cullen's discreetly left when it was time for Eddie to empty his own room. Conscious of his distress and each of them remembering the trauma of having done it themselves meant they knew when to give him space. Eddie, for his part, didn't notice them leave because he was sitting on the end of his bed staring at the three empty cardboard boxes that stood ready to receive his belongings.

It had been Bella who'd suggested the number three. He'd filled one box each of his parent's things that he wanted to keep and one box for things of a family heirloom nature and so three boxes of his own things sounded like a good number. As good a number as any anyway. Bella knew from experience that if the quantity of boxes wasn't capped he was likely to want to keep everything because she'd wanted that herself at one time. It was natural. It was normal and it was very human to want to keep what you'd amassed. But it wasn't practical and it could impede your transition to your next life if you remained exactly as you were, surrounded by the things you'd always owned, and as Bella stared at the contents of the bookcases and shelves in Eddie's room she had the proof of it.

Eddie had things in his room that he'd owned since birth. He also had things in his room that his father had owned since _his_ birth. _That_ wasn't normal and it certainly wasn't going to help Eddie move forward.

Sure, souvenirs or mementos were one thing, but pyjamas that'd been worn by a man who'd been dead himself for fifteen years was just creepy.

When Bella had seen off her siblings and Esme had wished her luck she stood in the drive of the Masen house and accepted the good wishes of her father.

"Why do you look so sad, beautiful girl?" Carlisle asked, caressing her cheek with his fingertips.

"Because this bit is going to hurt him," Bella admitted cautiously.

Smiling warmly Carlisle pulled her to him and held her a moment. As he released her he kissed her cheek and whispered, "I knew you didn't hate him. And it's going to hurt you too because of it." And with that he released her and got into his car and sped away to work leaving Bella standing there wondering what he'd meant.

It wasn't her home she was emptying, she'd done all that. She'd been through this and she'd gotten past it. She'd done her time as a newborn with all the self confidence issues and the self loathing, the doubt and the fear. She'd paid her dues and she had come out the other side strong and able to handle anything. So why Carlisle thought emptying Eddie's bedroom would hurt _her_ she had no clue.

With that thought firmly implanted in the front of her mind Bella went back into the house and into Eddie's bedroom. The instant she laid eyes on him the thought was gone...flitted away and replaced by the need to comfort this lost, lonely boy. He looked so desperately unhappy as he stared at the empty boxes and all she wanted for him in that moment was a reprieve from the pain. At least for a little while.

"Change of plan," she said as cheerfully as she could muster. "We're going out," she announced as she flung open his closet and began rifling through his clothes.

"I can't go out," he muttered darkly as he shook of his melancholia and stared at Bella.

"You can do anything you set your mind to," she argued and threw two plain white t-shirts at him. "We're not going near any humans so don't freak out, Eddie-kins," she taunted on purpose.

"Stop calling me that," he hissed as he held out the shirts in front of himself.

"Stop acting like a kid and I'll think about it. Here," she said as she tossed him a pair of shorts that he must have had since high school gym class, "You got a backpack?" she asked as she began to look around the room.

"No," he answered simply. Eddie owned a satchel, a brown leather one identical to the one his father had taken to and from work his whole life. He eyed the shorts warily, "Why do I need undershirts and shorts?"

Ignoring him so he couldn't talk her out of the idea Bella picked up one of the black plastic garbage bags from the stack on the floor and held it out, motioning for Eddie to drop the shirts and the shorts into it and once he'd complied she went out into the hall. Eddie stood at the foot of his bed shaking his head. She'd gone mad. He couldn't go out, it was the middle of the night and he'd hunted that day already. And why did he need a change of clothes? Wasn't he supposed to be packing up his room?

"Bella?" he called as he went out into the hall. Bella was standing by the backdoor and it was open. She had the plastic bag slung over her shoulder and she was grinning at him. Anything that made Bella grin wouldn't end well for Eddie. Wishing he could cup his junk, but realising she'd notice, he cocked his head to the side and huffed. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," she trilled in a lovely sing-song kind of voice. It was charming and she was still smiling. "Do you trust me, Eddie?" she asked sweetly.

Thinking on it a second Eddie had to admit that he did. She might drive him insane and her endless nagging, and all the insults made him madder than hell, but he did trust her. She'd never led him wrong so far, in fact she'd done more for him in the week since she'd come to look out for him than anybody else had and she'd never asked for anything in return. Yes. Eddie trusted her and he told her so.

Smiling himself he strode to where she stood and slipped through the open door and out into the night. When Bella pulled the door shut behind her Eddie didn't think about going back to check the locks, he didn't think of anything other than her warm little hand as she slid it into his at his side.

"Let's take a little run," she laughed as she tugged that hand and they were off.

As ever the running was sublime, for them both. Silent save for the odd chuckle or whistle to alert the other of an obstacle or a change in direction they ran through the forest at full tilt. They both missed the contact of holding hands, but Eddie was still faster than Bella and wasn't ready to concede a race to her.

Eddie took off into the forest at a good clip but once they were in the forest proper, and the trees began to get denser Bella called to him and told him to head due south.

So they ran Eddie ahead and leaping over fallen trees and outcroppings of rocks and whistling back over his shoulder to let Bella know where he was and what she'd face when she navigated the same ground he had. It was totally unnecessary, Bella could well see the upcoming obstacles for herself, but she found his concern both charming and amusing. Plus, she was in a good frame of mind as they ran.

It hadn't been as hard as she'd expected to get Eddie to give up his packing for a few hours and go running with her. She'd been convinced that his sense of responsibility would kick in and crush her attempt at levity. And when he'd said he trusted her...aah she could still recall the little flutter in her belly when he'd said it and the smile he'd thrown to her as he'd gone through the door. He smiled so rarely she felt grateful to have induced one.

Calling to him that he needed to head west she ran on, watching his ass in his ridiculous old man trousers, as he flew across the ground. Christ he was quick.

When the forest began to thin out he slowed and when he came to the edge of the national park he waited for her before stepping out into the moonlight that illuminated the edge of Highway 101. She walked to his side and slid her hand back into his and gave him a moment. He had no idea where he was and even though his sense of direction would be impeccable as a vampire – and she had no doubt he'd be able to find his way home without assistance if he needed to – the area was foreign to him for now and he was apprehensive.

"There's nothing out here, I promise," she told him softly and tugged his hand. He walked cautiously along with her but said nothing. "Nobody lives here. We've come so far south the nearest home is four miles in either direction. It's just us, trust me."

When they came to the edge of the highway he kept pace with her as they crossed, not a headlight in sight, and when they were on the other side and the tree cover once again closed in he followed when she began to jog.

Leading him towards the coast they jogged along a thin but well worn dirt track until the scent of the ocean hit them both full in the face. Eddie grinned but said nothing as they continued their run. He liked the ocean. He hadn't been often despite living so near to it, but he had come during summers in his youth.

Bella, both as a human and now as a vampire, loved the water. In all its forms. Baths, swimming pools, Jacuzzis and especially the open water of the ocean. The air was so clean by the sea and the combination of the salt and the sand made her feel alive and carefree.

The wind picked up the closer they got to the coast and by the time they were both standing at the end of the track their hair was whipping about their faces viciously. Tucking hers behind her ears she grinned at Eddie and nodded toward the steeply angled, roughly hewn path that led down to the water. "You game?" she called as she began the descent.

Eddie said nothing but as he overtook her on the path he did laugh. They came spilling out of the trees on the flat of what was a little bay complete with a short stretch of white sandy beach and crashing waves. Bella led him a little ways towards the shore then stopped, dropped the plastic bag at her feet and kicked off her trainers then peeled her jeans off her body. Standing there, in the moonlight in nothing but a pair of black panties and her regular t-shirt she raised her eyebrows to Eddie and kicked the garbage bag. "Shorts and shirt," she laughed and took off towards the water.

Eddie stood on the sand gaping at her running form. She'd shed her clothing so casually. As though it were nothing. How could that be? And how could she do that in front of him, he was a stranger, they'd only met a little over a week ago.

And why, now of all times, did his junk decide to stir? He'd been unable to ask Carlisle about his erectile dysfunction symptoms with women in the house so he'd held onto his firm belief that now he was a vampire he was asexual. Obviously that wasn't the case because for the first time in a week he had wood. Not full wood, thankfully, but enough to be embarrassed and uncomfortable. And she wanted him to change into shorts to swim in? Not likely in his current condition. Plopping himself down onto the sand on his rear he stared out at the water and watched Bella stroke away from the shore.

At least he had an answer for his query. He wasn't asexual, or a eunuch either. Everything still worked, just not at appropriate times. Just like when he'd been human he thought wryly. Typical.

Could the problem have been a simple as he didn't sleep now so of a morning he wouldn't be hard from bladder fullness and dreams? He rarely recalled his dreams but had assumed that he must think of females at some point, and because he didn't during his waking hours he must during his REM sleep.

But he was thinking of a female now. A brunette female with pale, lusciously long legs and topaz eyes who made him crazy.

He'd never seen a woman as undressed as Bella had been moments ago. He'd never seen that high on a woman's leg either. And National Geographic didn't count. And now that he was a vampire – complete with working man tackle – the only woman to show him her flesh in such a way was the one who confused him so completely.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the image of her legs and willing his semi-erection to disappear he stared at the garbage bag. The idea of a swim was appealing but he hated shorts. He hated his legs come to think of it. And now they would be perpetually pale instead of just white from a lack of sun.

"Come on!" Bella shouted from the water. "You don't feel the cold anymore so what are you waiting for?"

And what exactly _was_ he waiting for he thought as he nudged the bag with his toe. She had perfect eyesight in the dark just like he did but she hadn't hesitated to change in front of him, and he did have clean boxer briefs on, so there was nothing stopping him from slipping on the shorts other than nerves.

Opening the bag he withdrew the shorts, and the two towels Bella must have shoved into it while she was in the hall, and dropped the pile at his feet. Still sitting he undid his trousers and shoved them and his loafers off. He slid the shorts on and did up the drawstring snugly then got to his feet. He dropped his only remaining pair of spare glasses into a shoe and ran for the water as though he were being chased by a wolf.

The water was refreshing rather than cold and as he ran through it and it splashed all over his upper body he knew she was right. He'd never feel the cold again so why shouldn't he swim in the middle of the night, in his old gym shorts and a t-shirt, with a half naked woman he'd met a week ago?

Grinning stupidly to himself he took a gulp of air into his lungs and plunged under the waves. It was bliss. The water was warm despite his brain knowing it was freezing outside but to his flesh it felt as warm as bath water. And he could see in it! He could see the sand as individual grains and he could see the pieces of ocean weed as they swayed in the current and he could see the bottom half of...oh good Christ!

Coughing and spluttering Eddie burst through the surface of the water with wide eyes and a mouthful of Strawberry Bay water.

"Takes a bit of getting used to," Bella laughed off to his right.

Thinking she was talking about seeing her half naked Eddie's eyes bugged out as he turned to face where her voice had come from. "I'm not sure I will," he admitted and tugged the front of his gym shorts out and away from his returning erection.

Turning her back to him Bella began to stroke away, kicking to jump through one wave and diving under the next before surfacing another twenty feet from where he stood in the sand. "You will," she called across the space between them. "You don't need to fill your lungs with oxygen before you dive anymore. Just keep your mouth clamped shut and do your best not to panic. Your brain will keep telling you you're in need of air but if you can fight through that a few times you'll get the hang of it." And with that piece of information shared she ducked under the next wave and disappeared from his line of sight.

Releasing his long held breath Eddie sagged in relief. He'd misunderstood and she'd not seen his discomfort. Thank heaven he thought as he closed his lips and followed her lead.

Ducking under an oncoming wave he surfaced - minus the spluttering - a few feet out the other side and smiled in triumph. When the next wave approached he repeated the process and came up and out the other side of it grinning inanely.

"Better?" Bella asked behind him and when he swivelled in the sand to find her he saw that she too was smiling.

"Much," he said honestly. He did feel better. Better about the swimming, better for the run and better for her help. "Thank you," he told her as she bobbed and swayed her way to his side.

"You're welcome," she told him just as honestly.

They spent hours swimming; racing parallel to the shoreline and Bella spent a good hour teaching Eddie to body surf. To an onlooker they were just two kids playing at the beach in the dead of night.

After he'd mastered his teacher's latest lesson he swam to where Bella stood in chest high water and thanked her again for bringing him out for some fun. Smiling warmly Bella told him that he was welcome, again.

The mood shifted fast. The swimming was fun, and she was pleased he'd mastered yet another vampire trait, but she knew that they'd have to leave at some point and he was going to have to face the rest of the packing. "It's hard, what's going on back there at your house. I thought you could use a little distraction."

The gentle waves pushed and pulled them toward and away from each other as they both stared out into the black void that was the North Pacific. There was no real need to speak further about what he'd been doing at the house, she got it. It was that simple. For her own reasons – that Eddie wasn't privy to – she got it. She knew it was hard for him and she'd recognised his need to step away if only for just a little bit.

Chest-high in the water they stood silently for the longest time. It wasn't an awkward silence. It was borne from their own individual thoughts about their pasts and what was to come in the future. It stemmed from the realisation that neither was alone and that they both had someone to confide in, if they so wished.

Bella, for her part, had had the resources of the Cullen family behind her every step of the way through her change and through the emotional time of transition to a new way of life, while Eddie had been held securely in the bosom of his mother's life and had felt alone and afraid since her departure. But now, as he stood beside Bella in the warmth of the water he no longer felt so alone. He was about to be absorbed into another family and he had someone who understood the turmoil in his head and heart at the thought of it.

"Are you my friend?" he asked suddenly, breaking Bella from her own thoughts abruptly.

Bilking rapidly she took half a second to respond, making Eddie smile at her eagerness. "Yes," she said simply.

Emboldened by the dark night, the stillness of their surroundings and the calm presence of the water Eddie reached between them and clasped her hand in his.

Encouraged by his boldness Bella stepped slightly to her right and let her upper arm touch his. The tiny sting as their wet skin met startled them both. Neither knew what it was and neither did they want to break the silence to ask the other. So they simply stood there, quietly.

The waves continued to crash onto the shore behind them and the ebb and flow of the tide shoved them toward and away from one another relentlessly but they both stood their ground, feet digging into the sand to steady them. Neither wanting to break the tiny connection they'd forged, shoulder to shoulder. "Can I ask you something personal?" Bella whispered.

"Sure," Eddie replied.

"Can you see through your glasses?" she asked, but Eddie missed the grin on her lips because he was still staring at the horizon.

"They are an old prescription and I can't very well go to an optometrist right now," he shrugged by way of an answer.

"True enough," Bella agreed. "But that's not what I asked. I asked can you see well with your glasses on."

"No," Eddie admitted. "I can't."

"Can you see well now?" she asked as she broke the connection of their shoulders – but not their clasped hands – and shuffled until she was facing him.

He blinked – from nerves because she was so close, rather than from needing to – and stared down at her lovely face. He could see the gold flecks in her irises and the silvery sheen of her venom from when she'd last licked the salty water from her lips. Oh yes, he could see her perfectly. "Yes," he sighed eventually.

Smiling she reached up and pushed a lock of that copper hair out of his face and tucked it behind his ear. "I thought so," she laughed softly. "You don't need the glasses anymore Eddie, your eyesight is better than perfect now. But I get it if you want to keep them. They're a part of who you are, I get that. I can have a pair made that have clear glass in the frames if you want?" she shrugged, trying to make it seem casual as she asked.

Unable to fight the need to swallow his venom he did so and Bella stared right at his mouth as he did, increasing the discomfort in his shorts. She was so close to him, almost chest to chest if not for the thin film of her t-shirt and the outline of her black brassiere beneath it. Swallowing again was necessary and Eddie noted that her gaze shifted from his mouth to his throat as he did. Strange he thought. She watched him so intently, never taking her eyes off his throat as he swallowed again. Her eyes followed the up and down motion of his Adams apple. Did it look different, he wondered. It wasn't something he'd checked for himself since his change so he didn't know the answer.

Knowing she was waiting for an answer Eddie swallowed his pooling venom once more, for her benefit, and decided that he was going to do something he'd never had a chance to do before.

His hand shook so much when he breeched the surface of the water that he splashed water onto her neck and shoulder as he reached for her, but she didn't flinch. She didn't shift her position and she didn't take her eyes off his face as he moved. She wasn't afraid of him like he was of her. She wasn't worried for what he was going to do even though Eddie knew that he'd never raise his hand to her in anger and he never, ever wanted to hurt this beautiful, amazing girl. With trembling fingers Eddie smoothed a stray lock of her hair off her cheek and slid it behind her ear as she'd done for him. She was his friend, she'd said so. She wanted to help him and she cared what happened to him. They might have both said they didn't like each other the night before but he knew it wasn't the truth. It hadn't been then and it wasn't now. It was a reaction to a stressful situation and he regretted saying it.

Keeping his fingers on her neck, just below her ear where he'd woven that shiny tuft of hair, he stroked the column of her throat with his thumb and swallowed hard before speaking. "You said you liked my glasses," he said matter of factly.

She closed her eyes briefly and minutely burrowed into his cupped hand before returning her eyes to his. "I do like them," she told him firmly.

"Don't have a new pair made for me," he whispered softly. She was about to protest but Eddie continued before she could scold him or remind him that he didn't need the corrective lenses anymore. "Teach me how to have them made for myself," he whispered and used his grip on her neck to pull her to him.

Eddie had never instigated a hug with anyone other than his parents and as he stood in the water with Bella in his arms he wondered how many other truly wonderful things he'd missed out on in his life because he'd never tried.

Bella, for the first time in her life, settled happily into the arms of someone that wasn't her father, brother, sister or dam. And it felt good. He felt good.

When Eddie's hold relaxed a little she turned so they were chest to back and they stood there, Eddie's arms around her waist and her fingers holding onto his forearms tightly, and watched the sun rise over the sea.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading. **

**I'm heading off tomorrow for three days away with my lovely girlfriends, so I won't be updating over the weekend. As a concession I'll try and update again in a few hours, if I can manage to edit the next chapter. If not it will be tomorrow morning. **

**Have a great weekend everyone, and thank you all so much for reviewing and for the PM's...keep them coming, makes me write faster :)**

**Please review. **


	10. Chapter 10

"_Yo, dude, you wearing Disney Princess jocks?" Emmett bellowed from the living room as he looked up to the second floor where Edward was hanging over the railing staring down at him as though he was a madman. _

"_What on earth are Disney Princess jocks?" Edward asked, falling right into Emmett's trap. _

_Every other occupant of the house winced as he asked the question. They were used to Emmett, Edward was not. _

_With a grin Emmett told Edward what he thought was the world's best punch line, "You know, undies, with Disney Princesses on the front. You wearing the Belle ones? She taming your Beast?" _

_Emmett all but collapsed in on himself at his own joke but Edward scowled. "You're so bloody childish," he growled over the railing. _

_Here, here thought every other Cullen. _

_It had been twenty-two days since Edward had moved in and he still wasn't endeared to Emmett the way Emmett expected him to be. Everyone loved Emmett. _

_But nothing he'd tried, or said, seemed to make the guy smile or laugh. It got on his goat that everything Bella said or did worked, every time._

* * *

As the sun began its rise over the sea the complications of getting out of the water and changing his clothes in front of Bella began to swim through Eddie's mind. He wasn't hard, thankfully, but that may be because he couldn't see her body with it pressed up against his chest as it was.

"We should head back," he said softly into Bella's left ear.

Nodding, but staying silent, Bella turned again in his arms and gave him a gentle smile before slipping free and diving back under the waves and heading for the shore.

With a start Eddie realised that if Bella hit the sand before he did he'd have to watch her change in front of him, while he waited, with nothing to occupy himself other than to watch her do so. He couldn't have that.

Kicking like a penguin with a killer whale on its heels Eddie swam past Bella as fast as he could've run past her. He was on the sand, running full tilt for where he'd dropped the towels, before Bella had reached the edge of the water.

Wrapping the towel around his waist he peeled off the shorts and his underwear and threw them both into the plastic bag. Pulling his trousers up over his thighs was difficult because they were still wet, but it was a better option than trying to change with her near him. His shirt gave him no such grief. Males being bare chested was nothing new so he pulled his t-shirt over his head and discarded it the same way as his shorts. Using the towel he wiped his torso down and ran it through his hair. It was then that he noticed Bella.

Sightly behind him and to his right she stood stock still, her lips parted and her eyes huge in the first rays of the morning sun. The pale pink tip of her tongue sat between her clenched teeth as she panted. She was panting!

Bella, for her part, had no clue that she was. It was involuntary as she looked at Eddie's back and shoulders, and those hip bones above the waistband of his dad- pants. Droplets of water shined on his skin making him shimmer in what there was of first light. Braced as he was, feet spread to the same width as his impressive shoulders, he looked massive and he looked strong. Really strong. His strength had been hidden behind his dowdy clothing but now, standing there naked from the waist up, she could see it. Muscles rippled across his neck and shoulders. His thighs were straining against the material of his pants and the backs of his calves were clearly defined through the wet material of his trousers. He was strong.

The thought struck her first in her belly and then in her sex. He was big. Tall. He'd seemed willowy to her before, hidden under the baggy pants and the shapeless shirts. But now he seemed so tall, so manly. It seemed as though he'd grown in stature as his confidence had grown. Had he always been big? How did she not notice? And his hands...his hands were big too. Long, slender fingers on big hands. Short squat nails on those long, nimble fingers. She was chewing her bottom lip without realising.

"Bella?" Eddie asked carefully, approaching her with caution not because she looked dangerous but because she looked vacant. "Are you alright?" She nodded and Eddie let out a small sigh of relief, but her eyes were glazed and she hadn't met his while making the gesture. "What's wrong? Can you smell something I can't?" he asked, slipping into a crouch and throwing the towel onto the sand at his side.

He sniffed the air and came up with salty water and sand, some hint of pine needles and the feint whiff of something herbivorous. Nothing frightening or out of place. He ranged his hearing out next and came up with the waves, the wind and the sound of whatever was munching on leaves in the trees. Again, nothing frightening. Even what he could see wasn't much. Just the sun the water and Bella.

He wasn't equipped to deal with whatever was wrong with her. She'd been the one to take care of his freaks outs as she liked to call them. He had no experience for anything else. So he tried again. "Bella, please won't you tell me what's wrong?"

He knew from his own recent experiences that she couldn't cry but when she finally did meet his eyes it looked as though she was going to try. He reached out a hand for hers and she did seem as though she was considering putting hers into his, but at the very last second she shook her head and ran. Just like that. She ran. Leaving him standing there alone on the sand, half dressed and with her own clothing in a heap in the bag she just took off through the trees.

Cursing, for a record third time, Eddie threw on the undershirt she'd packed for him and then raked everything else up into the bag and stood staring into the tree line where she'd disappeared. What now he thought as he began to shake.

He had no idea where he was, she'd led him there even though he'd been running ahead of her at the time. There'd be no whistles and soft calls for a change of direction if he headed back on his own.

And what if he crossed the scent of a human on the way? He shuddered at the thought. How could she run off and leave him there on his own?

Not knowing what to do, and cursing her for leaving as she had, he looked up and down the beach uselessly. Standing there wasn't going to help so he took off after her. He slung the bag over his shoulder and headed for the trees himself. He gave only a slight thought to his having bare feet but as his soles hit the dirt track he forgot about it and set his mind to chasing her down.

Never having tracked anything in his life he had no clue how to follow her fast fading scent as he ran, so he didn't notice that her scent had peeled off to the north as he kept running east, back along the path they'd used to cross the highway. Stopping by its side he could still smell her, but he didn't know that it was her original scent he smelled and not realising it he simply crossed over the empty highway and headed further east until he hit the national park.

Once inside it his panic really began to rise. He couldn't smell her anywhere. The scent of animals and leaves and moss flooded his nose and he couldn't find her scent. It had just stopped. If she'd run this way, or anywhere near it, he couldn't find the proof of it. He'd lost the path they'd come down by this time and as he whipped his head from side to side to see if he recognised anything – a rock, a particularly large tree, the shape of a clearing – he roared into the forest in frustration when he didn't.

Following the sounds of the highway he ran in the general direction he thought Forks was in.

For the first and only time in his whole life he wished he had a cell phone.

Had luck been his friend he'd have come out of the forest at the top end of town instead of from the east. Coming in from the north he would've crossed her scent as she made her way to the Cullen house, but Eddie had never been lucky so he'd come out at the edge of what he knew to be Fern Hill Road. He slowed to a walk, and he was frantic. He was only a couple of streets back from his own so he made his way there slowly even though he was seething inside.

Switching to a casual jog he approached his home without caution. He flung the back door open and began screaming her name as he ran through each room. It was empty but he'd known that before his futile search. If she'd been here he'd smell her clearly. He couldn't.

Snatching the handset to the house phone off the floor in the hall he called the number on Carlisle's pristine white business card for the Cullen residence.

"Cullen residence, Esme speaking," the lady of the house answered cheerfully.

But Eddie wasn't feeling social, or cheerful. "How do I find you?" he growled down the handset.

"Um, Eddie, is that you?" Esme asked shakily.

"Yes," he hissed. "How do I find you?" he asked again gruffly.

"Oh, right. Well you take Whittcomb Road and turn right onto Flemarski Road and we're a mile beyond the sealed part..." she managed to get out before Eddie disconnected the call.

Not bothering to shut or lock the doors Eddie hit the ground running, heading back down Spruce Drive and going back into the forest. Turning due north he followed as straight a path as he could whilst avoiding the trees and when he'd estimated he'd gone three miles he went west, coming out of the trees onto a dirt road.

He hadn't listened to Esme's directions long enough to glean a house number but he was working on pure rage and adrenalin by this stage and his basic, natural vampiric instincts had well and truly kicked in. He picked out Carlisle's scent first as his feet pounded down that dirt road. Next came Esme's and finally Bella's. There were others but he hadn't been close enough to any of the others to say with any surety which scent went with whom.

All the scents led to one property. A monstrous, glass fronted house hidden from the road by a row of tall pines at its frontage. Not stopping to admire the details Eddie bounded up the front stairs and banged angrily on the front door.

"Eddie, so lovely of you to come," Esme said with her usual aplomb. Sweeping her hand wide she ushered the now shaking Eddie inside. "Are you alright dear, you look..."

Eddie didn't let her finish her sentence because he could smell _her._ The roar that escaped his lips was deafening even to his own ears, and it made Esme cower by the door. "Isabella!" he roared again when no sound came from within the house. Spinning on his heel he rounded on Esme, "Where is she?" he demanded.

Esme pointed up the stairs and as soon as Eddie hit the bottom rung she dashed to the kitchen for her cell phone. She was alone in the house with an obviously upset Bella – who hadn't stopped to tell her what was wrong despite her having asked repeatedly as she'd run up the stairs and into her bedroom – and a distraught Eddie. All the others were either at work, school or college. She dialled Carlisle at the hospital and got his voicemail.

Eddie went up the two flights of stairs at a run, following the strength of Bella's scent. He didn't know it, but an upset or angry vampire's scent was potent, and it was this that led him right to her. Outside her door he knocked firmly once, called her name just once, and when he got no answer he put his shoulder to it and busted it in.

She was on her feet by the time he came barrelling in the door and was in a crouch by the time he was in his.

"How dare you!" he roared so loudly the floor to ceiling windows shook. "You fucking left me there!" he roared again, wincing at his own choice of language.

Bella didn't want to fight and she saw no reason to. She'd left him there, sure, but there'd been nobody around and he knew his way back well enough. He'd gotten to the Cullen house so his sense of direction had kicked in at least. What his problem was with that was a mystery. But something about seeing him like that, frothing at the mouth, hair sticking out at odd angles and his clothes torn and filthy made the fight work its way into her system fast. He had no right to be angry at her. So she'd run. Big deal. He was fine, nothing could hurt him. And so she got defensive and angry. So very fast. It flooded her very cells and had her venom flowing and her fists clenching at her sides just as his were.

_This_ was why she liked being alone. _This_ was why she didn't want anyone. She didn't want to have to explain herself, or her feelings, to anyone. She didn't want to be responsible for anyone else's feelings either. If she was honest she didn't want to have feelings of her own. She liked the freedom of coming and going as she pleased and she hated the idea that if she was part of a pair she'd have to give up that freedom.

But most of all she hated that she'd wanted him at all. And she had. Watching him on the sand she'd wanted him. She wanted to throw his body down to the ground and straddle him. She'd wanted his tongue in her mouth, his hands on her body and his flesh inside her flesh. And she hated herself for it.

She. Would. Not. Give. Up. Her. Freedom.

"I don't answer to you," she spat at the mountain of angry vampire fronting her. "I'm not your keeper and you aren't mine."

Scoffing at her Eddie flexed his fists and swiped his tongue angrily over his bottom lip, "You volunteered to be my keeper," he hissed. "You've reminded me of it often enough. You can't pick and choose when you are and when you aren't," he roared.

"Don't you dare tell me what I can and can't do," she growled. She rolled her shoulders and craned her neck and she looked, to Eddie at least, about ready to tear into him.

That was fine with Eddie. He was so angry, for the very first time he was truly angry at someone and it felt good to have the balls to stick up for himself. Nothing and nobody could hurt him now and he intended to make himself heard. "You," he said as he advanced on her position by the bathroom door, "you have told me what I can and can't do from the off," he growled menacingly as she backed up slightly. "You," he said again, punctuating the statement with a flick of his finger toward her, "you have never once asked me what I wanted. You've dictated my every move for a week and a half, Isabella."

The use of her full name shocked Bella more than what he'd said. Nobody ever called her that. Not even Charlie when he'd been alive. But this guy, this _boy_ who knew nothing about her and who'd turned her head and her gut inside out he used her name as though it were a weapon.

Of course, if Bella had've been thinking clearly she'd have come to the conclusion that she'd been wielding Eddie's full name – and quite a few colourful nicknames too – as a weapon herself. But she wasn't thinking clearly. She was fuzzy and she was angry and she was aroused and she had no idea how to deal with any of those emotions. They were foreign to her. She'd lived a nice, quiet life as a human and had transitioned into a nice peaceful life with her new family right after.

But this man made her feel and she didn't like it. She wanted simple. She wanted calm and she wanted alone. Alone suited her and she knew that alone suited him too because he'd drummed that into her for the last week and a half too. "If I thought you were capable of looking after yourself I wouldn't need to dictate to you!" she shouted back but it was half hearted. He was right and she knew it. She had lorded over him the whole time and she had never once asked what he wanted for himself. His independence was important to him, as hers was to her.

His sneer made him impossibly hotter and she mentally kicked herself for the errant thought as he moved yet another step closer to her. She could smell the anger on him, feel the heat of rage coursing through his body radiating out towards her and she liked it. And she hated that. She was a seething mess of contradictions.

When Eddie was right up in her face he swiped at his teeth and growled, low and deep from the centre of his chest. "Why did you run?" he asked simply.

Bella lowered her eyes. She couldn't tell him the truth. She didn't want to believe the truth herself, so she did a foolish thing, she lied. "I was testing you," she whispered.

"Testing me?" he bellowed right in her face, making her shiver. "You've made it very clear to me the danger I am to others and yet it was you who left me at the beach just now. It was you who left me alone to run home on my own. If I'd have crossed the scent of a human and hurt them it would be on you, Isabella."

Again the use of her full name made her bristle but under the circumstances she knew she had to suck it up. She couldn't tell him the truth so as a pay off she didn't call him on the use of her name. He'd spoken the truth, anyway. It would be on her if he hurt someone this time. "Did you?" she asked, eyes still lowered.

"No, I didn't," Eddie answered quite calmly, considering. Backing away from her a little he raked his hand through his hair and sighed long and hard. Turning back to face her again he squared his shoulders and looked her dead in the eye. "I don't think I'll be needing your babysitting services from now on, Isabella."

Bella's gut clenched. He was ditching her? Him? The guy who hadn't wanted her help in the first place? The guy who balked at everything, who resisted every suggestion she made and every ounce of help offered? _He_ didn't want _her_ anymore? That wasn't how this was going to go down. She couldn't be near him anymore. But it would be her decision, he didn't get to cut her off, she wanted it to come from her. She needed it to be from her. She couldn't let herself get swept up in 'feelings' and her need to be in control made her say something stupid. "You want out of our arrangement?" she taunted, suddenly angry that he didn't want her help anymore. "You got it big guy. Consider me done," she retorted without thinking, immediately regretting the words as his eyes flashed.

Eddie retreated a few steps and turned his back to her. The panic Bella felt at the thought of him just leaving like this, leaving everything unfinished, unresolved, made her stomach lurch. If he left and she never saw him again she'd...well, she didn't know what she'd do exactly. But the thought hurt. And that was idiotic. She couldn't be near him without wanting him, but the idea that she might not ever be able to be near him at all hurt like the sting of a thousand wasps.

She was about to beg him to change his mind. She was about to tell him that she didn't mean it. She was about to tell him the real reason she'd fled the beach but then he turned and she saw the true vampire inside him. His normally serene, accepting face was hard, his eyes dark cherry red and flashing his pain like a beacon. His grin was cold, callous and she could see that he meant every word as he spoke. "I'm moving in to the room opposite in a few hours time, I doubt we'll see much of each other, but that will not bother you in the slightest, will it you unfeeling bitch?" And with those as his parting words he left the room and a few minutes later the house.

Bella was left standing alone and uncertain, just as she'd left Eddie on the beach.

His anger was palpable. His scent so strong it infected her every pore. There were drops of his venom on the floor and his fingerprints in the door where he'd pushed his way in to get at her.

Blinking rapidly Bella stood there, backed up against the bathroom door and shook.

Their agreement was over, just as she'd wished all along. He hated her and would never see her as anything other than annoyance, just as she'd wished all along. He was going to move in and ignore her, leaving her to go back to her nice, quiet life. Just as she'd wished all along.

So why did the thought hurt so much?

Because no matter how much she hated having feelings she did have them. Because no matter how much she wanted to ignore how she felt about him she did feel it. And because nobody had ever made her feel before like Eddie did. And because, after everything was said and done, she wanted him. All of him. Whether he changed or not she wanted him. Modern or old fashioned. Fastidious or relaxed. Vampire and man. She wanted him as her own.

And that was bad. The thought of him leaving and never seen him again might have made her feel ill, but the thought of him snarling and sniping and being just across the hall and hating her was far, far worse. She'd made him hate her. She'd missed her chance. He might never have felt for her what she felt for him but the chance to find out was lost and she'd done it herself.

How was she going to live in the same house as him knowing he hated her? How was she going to return to the nice quiet solitary life she no longer wanted and make him believe she was happy?

And how in god's name was she going to keep him at a distance when all her body and brain wanted her to do was stick her tongue in his mouth and demand he fuck her?

* * *

**A/N: What a complicated web we weave when first we decide to deceive. **

**Thank you for reading. **

**Please review. **


	11. Chapter 11

"_Did you know that sagging ones pants originated in prison? Inmates would purposely sag their pants as a sign that they were available to other inmates for sex," Eddie told a stunned Alice. _

_Tugging the waistband of the brand new jeans up his hips a little higher Alice did her best to keep the laughter out of her reply, "Um, no. I didn't know that. Quite the font of knowledge, aren't you Edward?"_

_Still not used to his mumblings being heard and understood no matter how quietly he said them Edward spoke out loud when he should've kept his thoughts to himself. "I know a lot of things, Bella Cullen I can't work out," he mumbled. _

_Alice, raising her eyebrows behind his back smiled. She wanted to shout 'well, duh. She's hostile because she wants you, you idiot' but didn't. These two had been circling each other for a month and whilst it was entertaining to watch, it was also making the sexual tension in the house reach a fever pitch. _

_If only she could stick the little bastard with her tailors pins, make him bleed, get him to see the blood and faint, then Bella could come to his rescue..._

* * *

Returning to his home after his confrontation with Bella felt like a punishment to Eddie.

She hadn't answered any of his questions and what she had said only led to more questions. He had no experience with women and the vampire female seemed unstable and contradictory at best.

She drummed into him the need to be vigilant with his thirst, then runs off and leaves him alone?

She picked and nagged about his habits then took him out of his comfort zone and couldn't understand why he reacted the way he did?

She was sweet and kind and tender and gentle with him then switched personalities in a heartbeat and then wondered why he was so lost himself?

Eddie had never lost his temper, ever. But on that run towards the Cullen house his anger and frustration had welled up inside him and it had all come spilling out of his brain and mouth in a rush once he'd confronted a cowering Bella.

If it was something that was going to be a part of him now that he was a vampire he wasn't sure he wanted it. And who could he ask? Bella was all up for pointing out his mistakes but when it came to really focusing on teaching him about what he was she gave him the basic physical information and left out all the emotional stuff. And it was the emotional side of his new nature that was giving him the most grief. He was feeling things he'd never felt before, and things he'd never had a point of reference for before and she simply didn't seem interested in seeing him through that.

He was going to hate himself for a long time for yelling at her. Sure, she'd reneged on their agreement, but she hadn't deserved his angry words. Not all of them anyway. If she'd let him he'd apologise for that. Hopefully she'd write it off as newborn confusion, but he doubted it.

In just ten days she'd gotten his measure. She knew when he needed quiet and she knew when he needed force. She was expert at hiding her emotions from him – and everyone else he'd wager – but he had no experience himself with that. He thought he was going to struggle to maintain his anger, and his indifference to her. Hiding his reaction to her body was going to be impossible once they were living across a landing from one another. She'd made it quite clear that she loathed him, despite the tenderness she showed him now and then, so Eddie knew that his desire for her was completely one sided.

She'd made a pledge to her father to teach Eddie what she could. She'd made a deal with Eddie himself that she'd help him sort himself out. And that's all it was for her. A deal. He had to remind himself over and over that she wasn't sharing her time with him because she wanted to; she was doing it because it was an obligation.

He was just a 'job' to her.

Each time she slipped her hand into his it was so she could measure him, not because she wanted to touch him or to feel close to him. She needed to gauge his reactions to things, that's all. And he'd fallen for it. The first real contact he'd ever had with someone of the opposite sex was all a ploy to control him.

And didn't that shake Eddie's fledgling self confidence up?

He'd been taken in by her and she'd fooled him royally. She'd said she was his friend but she really wasn't. She had a job to do and she'd done it any way she could. She'd tricked him into leaning on her and she'd done it just so she could discharge a debt to her father.

Seeing her in the water half naked Eddie's libido had woken up from twenty-seven years of dormancy and he felt a prize idiot because of it. He'd gotten a crush on what effectively was a tutor. He'd formed an attachment to his teacher! And if that didn't take the prize for stupidity he'd taken her tenderness and care as her way of reciprocating that attachment. But it was all a lie.

His body didn't think it was a lie because he was still hard. He'd been hard at the beach, he'd stayed hard all the way home and he'd been hard as a rock as he'd fought with Bella in her room. In fact, the angrier he'd gotten in her bedroom the more turned on he'd gotten. Then he'd flown home, retracing his steps through the forest, and his erection hadn't abated at all.

Cursing himself he strode into his home and made straight for his bathroom. It was totally empty, even the shower curtain and its rings were gone, so when he twisted the taps on he was sprayed with cold water. Quite fitting he thought as it doused the front of his already damp trousers. Shucking them off and pulling his undershirt off over his head he stepped under the water to wash the salt off his skin and sighed in relief as the water turned boiling hot.

Looking down at himself he cursed the return of this one bodily function. "Why can't you be interested in someone nice?" he asked his straining dick. He'd never talked to it as an individual before, but just then, in the shower of his own home he did just that. He cursed the thing and wondered out loud why he couldn't just go on as he had before, never interested in anyone or anything, just idly chugging along.

His toiletries had been packed up so he had nothing to wash himself with so he simply rubbed himself down in the fresh water until he could no longer feel the salt and sand on his skin. As he rinsed between his legs his manhood twitched and he let out a rumbling groan as he palmed himself for the first time ever.

Masturbation was something other people did as far as Eddie was concerned. He'd never had a fantasy or even an image to bring to the front of his mind to use as inspiration before. But now, as he fisted himself for the first time, he did have an image to recall. Bella, standing in front of him soaking wet and glazed from whatever had bothered her. Her nipples had been taut against her brassiere and her slender legs had still been dripping with water. Her hair was wild and that tiny pink tongue poking out between her lips had seemed so inviting.

Despite believing she loathed him it was this image that gave Eddie his first ever manually induced orgasm. It had taken but a minute and it felt nothing like waking from a wet dream because he drove this orgasm himself, not his subconscious. He deliberately pictured Bella in his mind's eye and he deliberately used that image to bring himself to the brink. And when he felt the first sting in his balls that was his approaching climax he shouted her name and spilled into his own hand.

It was so intense he had to use his free hand to steady himself on the tiled wall. It went on for so long he had to bite his own tongue to stop himself chanting her name so loud the neighbours would come running. The relief and the release were so consuming he saw stars.

The self loathing that came later was hardly worth it.

Disgusted with himself and with the looming agony of packing up his bedroom in the front of his mind Eddie turned into the world's biggest procrastinator. He did everything and nothing so he didn't have to deal with any of it. But there was really nothing left in the house other than the contents of that one room to occupy his mind so he came up with some pretty ingenious methods of eating up his time.

He pulled up the carpet in his mothers room and tied it with twine before leaning it up against the garage for the rubbish collection. He raked leaves in the backyard and scooped them all into yet more black plastic garbage bags. He cleaned the guttering, serviced the central heating vents and the air intakes outside. He wiped down the ancient beaded curtain that hung in the doorway to the laundry room and he cleaned the flywire screens on all the exterior windows.

And still nobody magically came along and did the packing while he wasn't looking.

Denying it didn't change it he thought to himself as he finally went indoors to tackle it once and for all. The empty boxes stared up at him from the floor as though they were judging him. They needn't have, he was judging himself just fine on his own thank you very much he thought as he kicked the closest box.

Having to do this alone was his own fault. He'd had Bella to do it with but he'd told her he didn't need her help anymore. He was on his own. Again.

He didn't regret the argument because it had felt good to be honest with her, but it meant he had to do this part alone – and he certainly couldn't have tolerated her presence right then - but he didn't like being in the house without Bella all the same. She could've stayed in the living room or hung out in the yard or whatever she wanted but at least, if he needed her, she'd be close. As it was she was a mere six miles away but to Eddie it may have been six hundred.

As angry as he was with her and with himself he still needed and wanted her there. Maybe not in his face, and her sarcasm and teasing wouldn't have been appreciated either, but having her nearer would've helped. Maybe. Probably.

Somehow that snarky, annoying girl had made him as dependant on her as his mother had and she'd done it in less than two weeks! It had to stop. She didn't care about him; he was a task to her. She didn't like him; she'd probably been honest when she said it even though he regretted saying it himself. He was on his own and he needed to finish what he started.

He had to stand on his own two feet. He had to take control of himself and his environment and he had to start deciding where he was headed from here on in. That wasn't going to happen if he continued to let others make decisions for him. He may have only ever done a few basic things of his own accord before, and if he took charge now he was sure he was going to make some mistakes along the way, but what Bella had told him two days before had stuck with him. Failure was just the proof of having tried. Eddie wanted and needed to try. On his own.

So with another kick to the silent but accusing cardboard box he began making his very first independent decisions as a vampire.

There was no way to tell if they were the right ones but at least they were his and his alone.

He packed only three books into the first box. His father's final diary, his own current one and the library catalogue he used to order volumes for himself. It wasn't current but it was all he had on hand. If he was going to get serious about learning best he start learning modern things so taking his stash of ancient texts wasn't going to be practical or help him in the long run.

He may not like how Bella described him but he _was_ old fashioned, he didn't understand the modern world and he didn't behave the way others his age did. That was going to stop right now he thought as he looked over at his closet.

He put some of his underwear into an empty box along with his good winter coat but everything else could be donated. He wasn't Eddie Masen anymore; he was going to be Edward Cullen so the things Eddie had worn were going to be given away. He'd buy new clothes.

Into the same box went one pair of loafers, his comb and a box of new toothbrushes. He wouldn't need anything else. No razor, no mouthwash and nothing related to the care of his spectacles. In fact he wasn't taking his spectacles with him at all. Bella said she liked them but she also said she liked him. If he was going to believe that one of those statements was a lie he'd have to believe the other was too. So his glasses wouldn't be going with him to his new home.

He laid his satchel in the bottom of the last empty box and looked around his room. He gathered his watch and his alarm clock and added them to the box too. He didn't want anything else.

Sighing to himself he looked at the three boxes. His entire human life amount to three boxes and none of them were full. Bella had been right. What had he gotten out of a life hiding in his parents' house? Three books, some underwear, glasses that he no longer needed and his watch. Oh, and a nice dose of hypochondria and some OCD tendencies if he remembered her outburst correctly, which he did.

Tipping it all into one box he sealed the top shut with tape and tucked it under his arm. He didn't look back as he left his room and then the house.

The two things he'd loved the most were gone and they weren't coming back. His parents house was empty save for some jumble for the local op shop and Eddie Masen was dead.

While Eddie was packing up his paltry possessions Bella was trying to make sense of what she'd done.

She stood, in the corner of her room, backed up against the doorframe to her bathroom, shaking and shivering. Esme rushed to her aide but was swiftly told to go away and to leave the panting, upset girl to her own devices.

Never one for confrontation Esme did as she was asked and left Bella alone, but she did send a short text to Carlisle letting him know about the argument. His response – after making sure that no harm had come to either party or his wife – was for her to do as she was bid and leave them alone. He was confident they'd sort it out and was actually quite pleased that Eddie had shown his true nature and that Bella had been scolded so soundly.

Esme wasn't at all sure. As her childe she hated anything that would upset Bella. But recognising that Carlisle could be right, as he often was, she left Bella alone upstairs where up until ten days prior she'd spent most of her days anyway.

Bella was pleased that Esme had listened and had left when asked. She didn't want to discuss either the fight or what had led to it with anyone. She didn't want anyone to know that her reaction to her newfound desire was to run and she didn't want the innuendos and the torment she knew her siblings would start if they found out.

No, Bella would deal with her feelings in her usual way. Which was to ignore them. Tamp them down and hide them. Pretend they weren't there and that the screaming match had been over exactly what Eddie thought it had been. She'd left him alone to test him. It was better that he believed that.

She thought she knew him well enough to know that he'd never cope with the truth. Hell, he didn't cope with anything really and this would just send him into yet another spin. He didn't deserve that with everything else he had going on so Bella would just forget about it and concentrate on mending her own sensibilities in time for him to arrive and move in.

So that's what she set out to do. Propping her ruined bedroom door back into its frame she undressed and got into the shower, just as Eddie had done. She lathered her hands and washed all the salt and sand from her body and just like Eddie when her hands moved between her legs she groaned.

The moisture there had nothing to do with the wet panties she'd run home in from the beach or even from the spray of the shower. It was all about desire. But there was no room in Bella's life for desire and so she ignored her body and its reaction to Eddie.

When she'd dried herself and changed into clean jeans and a jersey she set her room to rights and flopped down onto the leather sofa and stared out over the yard and beyond to the river.

He'd called her an unfeeling bitch. He'd said he didn't need her anymore. And he needed to be right on both counts for this to work. She needed to not care what happened to him from here on in. She needed to let him do his thing, to learn for himself and from the others and she needed for him not to need her anymore.

With the plan firm in her mind Bella watched the river and listened for his arrival.

She assumed he'd be hours. She knew he'd be fuming. She assumed he'd agonise over every decision regarding his personal belongings and that he'd come with boxes and boxes of things he wanted to keep. And like so many things about Eddie she'd assumed wrongly.

She hung over the top railing of the staircase so she could see and hear him being greeted by Esme and then being ushered into the living room for the second time in a couple of hours. He had a single cardboard box under his arm and that was all. Nothing else. He'd showered – he didn't smell like the sea anymore – and he'd changed his clothes but his hair was still wild and to Bella he still looked pissed. At least that assumption was right she thought to herself as she went back into her room.

"Come in, come in," Esme greeted him warmly. "It's so good to finally have you here, Eddie."

Putting his box at his feet he slid out of his shoes and put them by the front door. "Please, I'm going to be Edward from now on," he said more calmly than he actually felt. "And thank you for having me. Please accept my apologies for the way I behaved on my last visit."

Waving her hand as though it was nothing Esme asked him to forget all about it and to please follow her up to his new room.

"The others won't be home for a while yet so it'll be quiet here until then," she said as they made their way up the stairs. "This is Carlisle's study and Alice and Jasper's room," she pointed out as they went across the landing and towards another set of stairs. "This is my room and that's Emmett and Rosie's," she told him as they made their way to yet another set of stairs. "Good thing we don't tire," she laughed as they got to the top floor.

"Yes, good thing," he chuckled politely as they moved down the short hall towards what he knew was Bella's room. Scowling at the door that had been propped up haphazardly into its frame Edward sighed and shook his head at the mess he'd created. "I'll have that fixed," he told Esme as she handed him a key.

"Don't worry about it, darling," she told him kindly. "Happens more often than you'd think around here. Emmett will take care of it. And this is your room," she motioned to the closed door directly opposite Bella's. "Nobody goes into anyone else's room unless invited and what you do up here is your business. But don't forget, we hear really well," she giggled. "I hope you'll be comfortable here with us. We all understand how you're feeling right now, so don't think you have to come and join in right away. You take your time. Settle in. Your other boxes are in the garage so when you're ready the boys will help you bring them up. We're here if you need anything but we'll leave you alone too if that's what you need."

Looking down at the small brass key in his palm Edward felt grateful and nervous all at once. Not knowing what to say, or where to look, he simple nodded and stepped forward to insert the key. He turned back to thank Esme for her kindness but she was gone. Wow, they all moved so fast. He'd have to get used to that he thought as he went into the room properly.

Setting his box on the floor he looked around. The room was unexpectedly vast. It was also the mirror image of Bella's across the hall. The bathroom door was right where he expected it to be, on the opposite side of the room, and the bed they'd thoughtfully provided for him was against the wall in direct opposition to where Bella's had stood in her room.

She had full length windows that looked out over the back, he had them looking over the front. Her room had been purple and silver, his was navy and grey.

Her bookcases were filled with novels and his were bare. Her desk had a computer on it and she had a stereo system and speakers on a high shelf above that. He had the shelf and the desk, but they were bare.

He imagined her closet to be full of dresses and skirts, pants and shirts. His was empty and would remain that way until he could access his money.

Her room smelled of her unique scent and the cosmetics and toiletries in her bathroom. His smelled of fresh paint and new linens.

It wasn't going to take long to unpack he thought as he put the box on the desk an opened it. He put his watch on the nightstand and his alarm clock beside it. He set the correct time and ignored the alarm function. He'd never sleep again so didn't need reminding to wake.

His satchel found a home beneath his desk and his and his father's journals a place on the bookcase. He tossed his underwear into the top drawer of the dresser and put his toiletries bag on the counter in the vast bathroom with the box of toothbrushes and his comb.

He put his loafers into the bottom of the closet and hung his winter coat on a hanger.

Edward was unpacked. This was going to be his new home. He had no access to his money, no job to go to, no family of his own and the one friend he thought he had was across the hall, probably still angry with him, and her scent was going to torment him forever.

Bella was jammed up against her bedroom door listening intently – and going crazy for a hit of his scent - as Edward unpacked that one single box. Where was everything else she thought? His room had been crammed full of crap and he'd shown up with one box?

Where were his clothes? All his beautiful books? And why now did she think of them as beautiful when before she'd thought they were old and stuffy and boring? Was it because they were his and she knew he loved them?

When all movement in his room ceased Bella closed her eyes and listened even harder. What was he doing now? Did he like the room? Did he like the colours she'd picked? Had he found her note yet?

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading. **

**So many lovely reviews to the last two chapters, thank you all so much for your continued good wishes. **

**Please review. **


	12. Chapter 12

"_My favourite position is the Zombie," Rose chuckled to an enraptured Edward. _

"_Zombie?" he asked, making the rest of the house cringe at his naiveté. _

"_Yeah, the Zombie," Rose reiterated smugly. "I just lie back and get eaten!"_

_Everyone else roared laughing; Edward shook his head and took off to his room. _

_Why did they tease him so? Why did everything come down to something sexual?_

* * *

Once all the Cullen's were under the same roof Edward went down into the living room to be introduced, again. Individually they were all very nice but as a group he found them intimidating. They all knew each other so well. They had inside jokes and they had mannerisms that were picked up on instantly by one another. Edward was out of his depth.

Having never had a sibling of his own the house felt loud and far too full. Even arriving home at staggered intervals they had been loud as they entered, whooping and hollering to each other in greeting. Each of them sought him out and they were all welcoming and polite, but Edward was overwhelmed.

They had routines and rituals and they all 'fit' there. Edward liked routine and definitely liked rituals, but only when he was privy to what they were and when they were done. He had his own space in the Cullen house – and he was grateful for it and the privacy it would give him – but Edward had never had a problem being on his own so acquiring new habits that encompassed others was quite daunting.

He hadn't spared much thought for how he was going to fit in the Cullen house. He hadn't taken any time to formulate a plan or to think about how he was likely to feel once he was there. For the better part of a week he'd been sure he could stay in his own home and tough out his thirst on his own. Of course he couldn't, so he'd had to change direction and that wasn't ever something that Edward had been good at. The only thing Eddie had ever changed of his own volition was his clothes. But now everything had changed. He no longer lived in his own home, he had very few of his own things around him – admittedly by choice – and he had no routines to work within.

The problem, as he came to see it, was that he no longer had an agenda. There was nothing for him to work towards.

What would he fill his time with now? How could he talk with these people when he knew nothing about them? How would they interact with him when all they knew about him was his pathetic attempt to go it alone? Had Bella told them things about him? Did they know how useless he had been as a human? They'd all seen him 'come to' in the forest on his first hunt, were they all laughing at him now? Would he be required to 'sing, dance and raise hell' with them? And if so how in god's name does one raise hell?

His one and only attempt at dancing as a teenager had been described in the school newspaper as something akin to 'chucking a fit' on the dance floor. There had been mention of perhaps having paramedics on hand for any further social events in light of Eddie's technique. It had been both humiliating and an abrupt end to Eddie's attempts at socialisation. Now he found himself on the outer with a whole new clique.

Why wasn't there a handbook? Why wasn't there a list of steadfast rules? Why wasn't there some ancient, giant tome that smelled of mothballs and dust that he could consult to tell him what he should be doing now?

Every Cullen seemed to have somewhere to be, something to achieve and some place to achieve it. Except Bella. What had Bella given up doing in order to take care of Eddie these past days? What had she set aside to keep an eye on him? Would she too flee the house of a morning leaving him to his own thoughts for hours on end?

Was it odd that once every Cullen had personally greeted him they disappeared after short conversations with him? Esme had said they'd leave him to settle in at his own pace. So was it strange that Emmett and Rose went running off somewhere. That Alice and Jasper went to their suite and that Esme said she had errands to run. Carlisle would be at the hospital until midnight and that left Edward with a nervous twitch and the beginnings of his thirst to contend with - and where the hell was Bella?

Going back to his room Edward tried to listen for any sound of her moving about in her room. For three hours he'd neither seen nor heard her. He could smell her. Her scent was the only one he could identify with ease, but she'd not shown her face other than to hang over the handrail when he'd first arrived. She either didn't want to see him or she'd assumed the same pose as Emmett and Rose had when they'd been on guard duty in his backyard. Bella statuary.

Pacing around in his room he looked for something to do. He'd never sleep again so lying down was a waste of time. He had no music, no books and nothing to look at out the windows.

He's showered already and even if he hadn't he had no clothing to change into. He needed access to his money and he needed clothes, shoes, books and music. If he was going to survive in the house, surrounded by couples, he was going to need a distraction.

After making some brief notes on a scrap of paper inside his journal Edward mapped out what he wanted to do going forward. First he needed to buy clothing, a cell phone and possibly a computer with an internet connection. He wanted music and maybe he'd even delve into the modern world and buy an iPod rather than a stereo system. He might even splurge and buy a dock for it. With his list in hand he went looking for Jasper.

Edward was consumed with only two thoughts by the time he was stood outside Alice and Jasper's suite. How to get at his money and where Bella was. Jasper could help with one; nobody could help with the other so he tried to concentrate on the first.

Edward had remembered what he'd been told and waited at the door until he was invited in. Jasper smiled and thanked him for being courteous and asked him to please come in.

"Did you or your mother have a will?" Jasper asked as soon as they were both seated at the desk.

"I didn't and if my mother did I don't know about it," Edward replied. "Her private papers are in boxes here somewhere, I can find out."

"Well, until we know for sure let's make a list of anyone she may have owed money to, or any relations that might come forward when the estate is set for dispersal," Jasper said professionally as he pulled the laptop towards himself and began typing.

"Um, my father left some money to me but everything else to my mother obviously, but now that she's gone I don't think there is anyone left. My father was an only child and my grandparents on that side have been gone for decades. My mother has a sister but she has no children of her own so I guess that the only person who'd qualify for anything would be her, Aunt Jane," Edward told a frantically typing Jasper.

"Well, we'll change the deed on the house and make it part of a trust that each of us manage. How does that sound?" Jasper asked a confused Edward. When Edward shrugged Jasper explained. "We're all dead," Jasper sighed sadly. "If our family homes stay in our own names and we aren't legally able to manage them ourselves, or we had no descendants, they're sold and the funds dispersed to anyone who has a legitimate claim. I worked out a century ago that if I changed the name on the deed to a managed family trust – in the name of Cullen by the way – we can each keep our own properties into perpetuity. The trust legally owns it and as long as there is a Cullen 'alive'," he chuckled at his own joke, "then nobody can touch the properties. Make sense?"

"So the title will say it's owned by a family trust in the name of Cullen but I still get to decide what to do with it even though I'm legally dead, right?" Edward asked.

"Dead on," Jasper chuckled again. "You got it in one. Took Emmett a month to work it out," he laughed. "The easiest way for me to search for the property title is using your mother's maiden name," he said, fingers poised on the keyboard.

"Dumphrey, Agnes Dumphrey," Edward replied sadly.

Catching the inflection in his voice Jasper leaned over a little, "My mother was Susannah Whitlock. I miss her too, even after all these years, so don't be ashamed of it, dude." And then he started tapping away again. "Any decision on what you actually want to do with the house yet?" he asked.

"I want to rent it out but it'll need fixing up. Might take me a while if I can't get to my money, so I guess it'll be empty for a while yet," Edward replied.

Grinning Jasper typed impossibly faster. "Won't be an issue once I'm done, so don't worry about that." He opened another web page – Edward knew what that was, the library had the internet and he'd been forced to learn to use it, he'd just never wanted it at home – and began typing Cullen details into the spaces provided on whatever form he was filling in. "The title is now in the name of Cullen and you can do with it what you like after thirty days," Jasper announced matter of factly to a gaping Edward. "I'll just get into the births register and we'll hook you up with some new personal details." Jasper opened yet another page and inserted a flash drive into the slot. Immediately the screen began flickering with a scrolling list of script that not even Edward's vampiric eyesight could read it moved so fast. When the script slowed the webpage opened again and Jasper began typing in new details for the birth of Edward Cullen. "You wanna be younger or older?" he asked and stilled his fingers again.

"Does it matter?" Edward asked.

"Depends what you want to do with your time here in Forks," Jasper said matter of factly.

"I don't have firm plans yet," Edward replied honestly.

"We'll make you a couple years younger for now then, we can always change it once you've decided what you want to do. Younger means you can apply for jobs a bit easier, fresh college leaver and all that," he nodded to himself and took three years off Edward's birth date. "I'm guessing you aren't going to want to go back to high school so we'll just make you twenty-four," Jasper laughed.

"No, I definitely won't want to be going through high school again," Edward gave a strangled sort of sigh to punctuate just how much he didn't want to ever go through that ordeal again. High school wasn't often kind to people like Eddie Masen Junior. They didn't fit anywhere other than with the other 'odds and ends' of groups and they weren't included or invited to many things outside of school itself. In fact, if school hadn't been compulsory by law Eddie had doubted he'd have been invited to attend at all such was his invisibility as a human. Perhaps now, as a vampire, the whole experience may be less stressful but Edward wasn't interested. He'd done his time and he was glad to have been turned old enough to not pass for a high school student.

"Any preference to where you were born?" Jasper asked as the cursor skipped to the next section on the form, startling Edward from his musings.

"Anywhere but Boston," he laughed. "My aunt is in Boston and she doesn't like me very much."

Jasper resumed typing. "Fair enough, not Boston. Let's go for Arizona this time. And what about your name, any decision on that yet?"

That was a tricky one.

He'd wanted to become Edward Anthony but it just wasn't safe. He could see that now. Those few days in his home had taught him many things and just how much he needed to change in order to disappear had been just one of them. Had he intended to leave the state perhaps he could've gotten away with the surname Anthony, but by remaining in Forks he had to make as much of a change as he could bear. And so Eddie Masen Junior became Edward Cullen.

Jasper, brilliant with forgeries as well as manipulating both the internet and public records, enjoyed the process that gave Eddie a new life. He sat with him for hours and together they made a list of what needed to be closed and another list for what needed to be recreated in his new name. All the accounts relating to his home were closed as were those pertaining to his vehicle.

As midnight ticked over Eddie was reborn as Edward Anthony Cullen, born in Surprise, Arizona – which both of them thought hilarious - three years earlier than Eddie had actually had been born in Forks. He'd been adopted by Carlisle and Esme Cullen at the age of eleven and he'd lived with them all over the country as the good doctor moved for work. He had a degree in library science from Arizona State University and he'd just finished it the previous summer. He'd have the records to prove it in a few days Jasper assured him.

When Jasper asked which bank his money was in the new Edward Cullen balked. "You aren't going to say I've got more than I actually have, are you?" he asked cautiously. He appreciated Jasper's help but he couldn't be a party to adjusting bank accounts. Forged identity documents were his upper limit.

"I can, but I can see that's not your thing, so no. I won't adjust any numbers, I'll just make you a new account and transfer out what you've already got into the new one," I swear. "Watch, it's easy."

Edward sat fascinated as Jasper logged on to his banks homepage and created a new account in his new name. "How will you prove who I am without documents?" Edward asked.

"I won't have to," Jasper replied, his fingers clicking on the keys animatedly. "I'll make a new account in the new name and make it a subsidiary of the original account, then there's no need to re-identify you. I'll just shuffle the funds from one to the other then close the original account...whoa, dude..." he shouted when Edward's actual bank account popped up on the screen. "You don't need me to fiddle the numbers, you're loaded!"

If he could've blushed Edward would have. "Please don't shout," Edward begged. He didn't want anyone knowing his personal business even though he knew it was already too late. It was bad enough that Jasper now knew, but their hearing was so good and he knew that news would travel fast in this house.

They watched the money leave one account – Edward holding his breath and hoping that the transfer didn't leave his hard earned cash in cyberspace like he'd heard had happened to so many people – and then appear in the next. "There you go Mr Edward Cullen. All your dosh is right there, in your new account," Jasper said triumphantly.

"Thank you," Edward sighed in a grateful rush. "That's scary," he laughed.

"Nah, it's all good. I know what I'm doing. So, you want to get at it right?" Jasper asked a puzzled Edward.

"Get at it?" Edward asked.

"Use the money. Spend, spend, spend as my Alice likes to call it," he laughed as a playful admonishment came from his wife's mouth from wherever she was in the house. "Sorry babe didn't mean anything by it," he laughed but rolled his eyes at Edward to show that he really did. "I'm assuming you want access to the funds?" he asked a still perplexed Edward. When Edward nodded Jasper began ticking boxes on yet another page. He hit send at the bottom of it and then turned to Edward. "Done. You'll get an ATM card, a credit card and a statement from the new account in the post in a few days. Until then you can just shop online if you want. Alice is the expert, I'm sure she's dying to take you shopping and with all that cash..." he trailed off when Edward inadvertently growled. Holding his hands up in mock surrender Jasper chuckled. "Sorry, dude, don't flip out. It's your business, I get that."

"Thank you," Edward held his hand out and as Jasper shook it he spoke very quietly, "I appreciate your help but I don't want to share my private business with anyone as yet."

"I respect that," Jasper nodded in agreement. "When you're ready I can help you double that," he laughed and raised his eyebrows at Edward's stunned look. "It's easy but I won't share until you do, brother," he said rather pointedly. Edward thought he meant that until Edward was ready to be his _brother_ - and not just a lodger in the house - he wasn't going to tell him how to make money as a vampire. Edward was about to protest and say that he intended to get a job and that he'd pay his way in the regular way when Jasper began to laugh. "Don't panic, dude. I just wanted to ask how you got such a huge amount at your age. You worked in a library, right?" Jasper asked, amused.

When understanding dawned on Edward he too began to laugh. Speaking loud enough to ensure that Bella heard – wherever she'd been hiding – he told Jasper how he'd gotten so wealthy. "I didn't just inherit hypochondria and OCD from my parents; I got a work ethic and a sense of personal responsibility. I work hard and I don't spend my leisure time going out, singing and dancing and raising hell. I saved every cent of that," he said firmly as he got to his feet. "I own a commercial property and it makes a little profit so I do alright." Moving towards the door he turned, thanked Jasper again for his help before adding, "If you'd be so kind, please let Alice know I'll need to spend, spend, spend some of that at her earliest convenience. Eddie Masen is dead and Edward Cullen has no clothes," he laughed as he left.

Up in her bedroom Bella hung on every word. She knew that what the new Edward Cullen had just said was meant for her, without him needing to say it loudly. She knew it was a jibe at her and she knew why. She deserved it too.

Covered from head to toe by her coverlet Bella had hidden herself away all afternoon and all evening. She couldn't face him and she didn't want anyone to know how miserable she really was.

He was doing just fine, better than fine and the realisation that he might not ever have needed her at all hurt her, badly. Ok, he couldn't keep going around biting humans, and he had learned to hunt from her, but he had a grip on his finances and he was a bit more confident and a whole heap more authorative with Jasper just now than he'd been the whole time she'd known him. He had money and from Jasper's reaction to the funds transfer it was a lot. And who knew he owned a business? She certainly didn't. And that was because she'd let first appearances cloud her judgement of him.

She'd had him pegged as a boring, nerdy bookworm who spent his nights reading Plato in the original Greek. What exactly had he been scribbling in his room at night? She's assumed it was his journal or his 'research', whatever that was. But maybe he'd been doing the books for his business? Or writing instructions for his employees or even writing great big whopping checks!

He'd seemed so inept. And wasn't that just a horrible thing to think about someone? He'd seemed so boring, but he really wasn't. She could see that now. He was smart and he had a business and she'd only seen him as a pansy-assed momma's boy. She'd missed so many facets of him simply because she wouldn't look past the dowdy clothes and the glasses. She'd had him judged and pigeon-holed simply because he didn't live the same kind of life she did. And vampire or not that made Bella a judgemental bitch and she knew it.

Could what she'd seen of his life be just a fraction of who he was? He worked in a library and he drove an old car. He lived in his mother's house and read books and the newspaper. That's all she'd seen because she hadn't looked any deeper.

Her very first impression had been her last. Boring, old for his age, set in his ways Eddie Masen had been what she'd seen. Confident, hot as hell without knowing it himself Edward Cullen wasn't something she'd thought to look for. She hadn't expected that he'd be fun and she certainly hadn't expected that her body and brain would respond to someone like him. It had come as a shock and it still was.

She was an idiot she thought as she hid under her blankets high up in her room just desperate to see, smell or hear him. He was there and she'd not seen him. He'd been right there, close enough to touch if she'd wanted to, and she'd not seen the real him.

She heard his footsteps as he approached the landing and ducked further under her blankets. She willed him to go into his own room and to forget that she existed. He knocked even though the door wasn't exactly in the best shape and when she didn't reply he pushed it inwards a little and spoke quietly to her anyway.

"I'm sorry you didn't come downstairs to welcome me to the family, Isabella. Goodnight my..." He trailed off, unable to think of what to call her. Friend didn't fit any longer. Sitter was insulting so he finished with the only thing she could be to him now that she'd made herself clear, "Sister," he whispered and then retreated to his own room.

Bella, hiding her sob in her blankets finished the sentence for herself. "Love," she whispered so lowly she hoped nobody heard. And unfortunately, nobody did.

She _had_ welcomed him to the family, in her note that he'd obviously read and hated, and then ignored. She didn't want to be his sister but that's what he'd called her because she'd never given him any reason to think she wanted more. She didn't want the emotions she was having and she didn't want to complicate her life. So Bella spent the rest of the night hidden and hiding.

Edward spent the rest of the evening making notes about how to change his life to suit the new man he wanted to be. If he was going to be alone in his new life he needed it to have some direction.

His first dawn as a Cullen was a revelation. The family all came together in the kitchen before they split off for the day, and he found himself enjoying the half hour or so immensely. Having always been an only child he'd missed out the camaraderie that siblings could provide and even though he didn't know them well enough to join in, he did like watching them interact.

Bella didn't come downstairs and join in the fun and Edward was sorry he'd upset her enough to stop her being a part of her own family. He didn't want that. He might be on the periphery for now – and he hoped that would change the longer he stayed – but Bella didn't need to avoid the family because of him. It was time to apologise.

He was saddened to see that her room was empty when he got there. He was sure he'd find her still hiding under her covers as he'd done the night before. But she simply wasn't there. He checked her bathroom and then all the communal spaces in the house before giving up. He made his way back to the first floor and knocked on Alice and Jasper's door for the second time.

"Come on in Edward," Alice trilled. Once he was inside he thanked her for allowing him entry and then asked if she had time to show him how to order some clothing. After clapping her hands and jumping up and down on the spot for a full minute she ran to him, threw her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. "Oh, welcome to the family big brother," she giggled. "Jaz tells me you don't have any clothes at all? Well, I can fix that. Come on in and we'll sort that out right now. Tell me, what's your favourite colour?" she asked as she pulled the chair out for her new brother and opened the laptop.

"Navy," Edward answered without hesitation. Whoever had decorated his room had been very good at what they did and he found he liked the navy and the grey very much.

"Excellent," Alice trilled as she began clicking. "I know you don't have a credit card or anything yet, but I know you're good for it, Jaz said you're loaded, so you can pay me back," she said to a stunned Edward. "Now, let's start with Ralph Lauren and work backwards from there. His Black Label casuals are to die for," she went on as Edward began to wonder what the hell he'd gotten himself into.

Bella had slipped out her open bedroom window before the sun came up and by the time Edward was engrossed in his 'spend, spend, spend' session with Alice she was busily brooding on a rock in a little clearing twelve miles away.

All her instincts were telling her to suck it up princess, return to the house and call the moron on his anger and just get everything out into the open. Then she could put it all away again and get on with her own life, leaving Edward to his. Well, maybe not tell him everything. She had no intention of coming clean about how she felt about him, but she could pretend pretty well with the right motivation. So the idea of just telling him that she'd meant what she'd said about their agreement being over felt like a good idea. Yes, she would just go home and tell him that she was pleased he was now a Cullen. Tell him she hoped he liked it there and that she hoped he could find something to occupy his time while he came to terms with his thirst and then go her own way.

There was no need to tell him that she missed hunting with him. No point telling him that she'd enjoyed herself when it had just been the two of them and that she missed the closeness they'd found with one another in his little house. It would only make things worse between them if she admitted that she missed holding his hand when he was stressed and that she really wanted to be there when his new identity documents came out of their envelopes, because she knew how awful it was going to make him feel to see them the first time. Telling him she was going to miss his dad-pants and his Target loafers would be a waste of time considering she'd spent more than a week hanging shit on him for them in the first place. And where the hell were his glasses?

She'd already told him she liked them so why had he ditched them? He'd asked her to show him how to have some made with plain lenses and now he wasn't even wearing the frames? What the fuck was that about?

If he changed too much she was going to wind up hating him and even though that would solve every single one of her personal problems the thought of coming to hate him made her feel impossibly worse.

There was nothing for it. It was all up to him because she couldn't afford to let herself feeling anything more for him than she already did. She couldn't play any further hand in his transformation; it was all on his shoulders now. She needed to give him the space to work out for himself who he was going to be from then on in, and she shouldn't influence that. If he didn't want to wear his glasses anymore that was his business she told herself. If he wanted to buy Alice' overpriced, stuffed shirt, designer label crap then that was his choice and nothing to do with her. If he wanted to change everything about himself he could. It wasn't like he was going to be asking her advice on anything anyway.

Psyching herself up by pacing a short path in front of a boulder Bella ran over in her head what she was going to say to him.

When she had the words in some sort of order she could live with she began chanting the lines out loud to make them stick in her head.

"You're my brother now Edward," she repeated as she paced. "I'll support any decisions you make. I'm your sister now and you can come to me with anything because you're my brother."

After a dozen rehearsals Bella was happy with the way it sounded. Not too sickly sweet. Not too blunt and not hurtful. It was similar to what the others had told her when she'd first gone to live with them so she figured it was what she was expected to tell Edward now.

She ran through it out loud once more then headed home with a clear idea of what to do and say. She'd go home, wish him well and forget that they were only separated by four feet across a landing.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading. **

**And to the lovely members over at tehlemonadestand a thank you too. For nominating this little tale for consideration for the months top 5 reads. It does ones heart good to see things like that. **

**Please review. **


	13. Chapter 13

_Karma and Destiny got into an argument about the rules of Boggle and so they both missed the farce that was being played out on the top floor of the Cullen house the next morning. Karma insisted that Destiny couldn't have the word 'quasuzle' because it didn't exist (and there was no A nor a Z on the board) and Destiny wasn't happy about it. Their arguing ate up the better part of two hours and so they didn't notice the signs of a boy becoming a man and a girl becoming a woman._

* * *

Edward was in his room, standing hard up against the door listening for when Bella returned. Bella was standing outside his room, standing hard up against his door listening for movement inside.

It was sweet and ridiculous all at the same time. Neither wanted to be the one to break the stalemate that had formed between them, but both were desperate for some type of contact as well.

Edward startled when the knock came and jumped away from the door like a child who jumps up onto his bed to avoid the monster who lives beneath it. Closing his eyes and trying to calm himself he took twenty seconds to tell her to come in. He knew it was Bella by her scent alone.

Opening the door gingerly Bella stepped into his room for the first time and got quite the shock. "Where's all your stuff?" she asked without thinking. It was so empty. And crap, her note was peeking out from under the blotter on his new desk with that fucking cardboard box sitting on top of it! He hadn't seen it! He hadn't ignored it; he'd just not seen it. Striding towards his desk she pulled it out from under the box. Forgetting all the reasons she was there, including all her pre-rehearsed speeches, she walked to where he stood by his bed and held the envelope out to him. "I wrote this for you right after our fight," she told him, putting it into his hand and promptly leaving the room again.

Eddie stood stock still looking down at the plain white envelope. He'd hoped they could talk, really talk. Get rid of some of the tension between them. He wanted to explain to her that he hadn't meant what he'd said when he was angry. But she was gone again. Sliding his fingernail under the lip of the envelope he withdrew a single sheet of unlined white paper.

Her handwriting was loopy, little circles all joined together beautifully. Instinct told Edward to sniff the paper and the hit of her scent he got made his balls clench. The porous quality of paper held scent quite well and Edward tried to make a note of that for future reference.

Sitting on the edge of his bed he read Bella's thoughts in her own voice.

'Dear Eddie,

I wanted to be the first to welcome you to our family. Please try and be happy here. It will make us happy if you are,

Bella.'

Well didn't that just suck Edward thought as he stared at it?

God, he'd been angry with her for not welcoming him to the family and she already _had_.

Sliding the note into the front cover of his journal Edward sat for an hour with a blank sheet of his own paper trying to think of a suitable reply. Nothing came to him. Normally very wordy there was nothing in Edward's brain that he thought good enough to commit to the page for her.

Jolted from his musing by the scent of a human Edward threw his pen to the blotter and went to the windows as the delivery guy closed the door of his truck.

Bella, smelling the human at the same time Edward did, was across the landing and barrelling through his door before he had a chance to drool. All thought for letting him be, leaving him to make his own decisions flew out of the window the instant she realised he'd be suffering.

And suffering he was. Hunched over, hands to knees and with his eyes flashing in torment Edward was hissing and growling like a caged tiger as Bella came barrelling through his bedroom door.

"It's okay," Bella soothed as she approached, palms up. "We'll stay up here, I won't let you hurt anyone," she promised as she crossed to where he stood. The groan that escaped Edward's lips when Esme opened the door and began speaking with the UPS guy made Bella shiver as she reached his side. "It's okay," she whispered again. "Cup your hand over your mouth and nose," she suggested and as Edward did just that Bella put her hand to his lower back and began to rub in small circles. The sting of contact hit her hard and she mentally kicked herself for the reaction. But Edward needed her and that had to take precedence over her feelings. "You're doing well," she soothed as Edward squared his shoulders, stood to face the windows and swallowed his pooled venom. "Carlisle taught me a trick, sort of a game, when I was a newborn," she whispered to a now trembling Edward. "You have to humanise them. Make them even more human in your mind than they are in the flesh. Think of a name for the guy. Let's call him Trevor, he looks a bit like a Trevor, right?" she asked as she looked at Edward's agonised face. He nodded minutely but was unable to speak lest the scent of 'Trevor's' blood flood his mouth and nose. "Good, Trevor it is," Bella said as she turned back to the windows. "So Trevor is a UPS guy, hard job that. Lots of packages to deliver and it's a physical job so he's got to be a pretty fit guy. Maybe he works out to stay in shape for it. Maybe he's got a wife and some kids at home." Still rubbing little circles on his lower back she felt his muscles slacken just slightly and smiled to herself. How did I miss seeing how strong he is she thought idly before continuing with her 'game'. "Maybe Trevor likes bowling and taking his kids to the park and he looks like a nice guy so I bet he's good to his mom. Has her over for dinner every week and makes sure her lawns are cut." Edward's trembling subsided completely as she spoke, her voice low, soothing and calm. They stood and watched two more boxes come out of the truck and then 'Trevor' was asking Esme to sign his form and climbing back into his truck. "See?" Bella asked as they watched the truck go down the driveway and out onto the dirt road. "He's more human to you now, isn't he?" she asked.

Edward could do nothing other than nod. The scent was almost gone now. 'Trevor' hadn't actually come into the house so his scent faded on the wind quickly. So it wasn't Edward's thirst or the temptation of 'Trevor' that made him mute now. It was Bella's care, her tenderness toward him and the feel of her hand on his back.

Bella took his silence for determination to fight his thirst and continued speaking so he wouldn't need to taste the air in the room for himself. "If you give the humans near you relationships to others they aren't just food anymore, Edward," she said calmly. Still standing side by side at the windows even though the driver was long gone now, they stood and watched the wind bend and sway through the trees. "You should hunt," she said firmly and Edward nodded in reply.

And just like that her care was gone. To Edward it seemed as though the instant his fear retreated Bella switched gears and retreated too. She simply broke the contact and turned on her heel and left the room. To Edward it was a conscious shift on her part, tender and understanding during his crisis and cold and distant as soon as he'd regained his composure.

It was just a job after all. She didn't really care. She'd come into his room simply to make sure he didn't hurt anyone and to spare a Cullen the task of having to clean up another of his messes should he have attacked the delivery man. She didn't care about him personally at all.

It was with that thought in his head that Edward slipped out the back door and fled into the forest to hunt.

Breaking the contact _was_ hard for Bella. The act of physically removing her hand from his back was so difficult she had to turn and leave the room quickly in case Edward got a look at her face as she did it. Once inside her room she waited until she heard him leave the house then sank to her knees and began shaking. Gulping the cleaner air of her own bedroom, clutching her stomach with her hands, Bella had to work hard to stave off the sobs that were threatening the back of her throat.

Not realising how difficult it was going to be to help him, to touch him and remain 'sisterly' about it was what hit her hardest. Always able to stay detached from emotional situations in the past Bella had assumed that she could simply hide her emotions and go through the motions. It was a shock to learn that she couldn't.

Those present in the house missed the sounds of Bella's anguish, so preoccupied were they with Edward's.

Esme, in her suite, sat on the edge of her bed and hoped that her new son would soon gain control over his thirst and conquer his shyness to become a fully fledged Cullen.

Alice, busily going through the boxes of Edward's newly delivered clothing, wondered why Bella didn't go on the hunt with her brother. It was obvious they'd formed a friendship and Edward was too 'new' to go out alone. Whispering to Jaz that he should probably keep an eye on the newest Cullen she went back to unpacking.

Edward flew through the forest unaware of the turmoil going on for Bella in the house. He ran as fast as he could, as far as he could, and when he'd had enough he too sank to his knees and drew in great gulps of the clean air. Bella's scent – denied to him for the prior twenty four hours while she'd hidden from him – twisted his inside and made him ache.

If she'd merely stood by him at the windows and taught him her 'trick' he'd have been fine. Perhaps fine was too strong, he'd come at okay, maybe. But she'd touched him and she'd been sweet and gentle and she'd understood exactly how to calm him and it was that that hurt him most. The touch had scorched his skin and had made his gut and balls ache but the withdrawal of the touch – and her return to uninterested detachment – crushed him.

His erection was as unwelcome as his thirst and as he roared into the forest in frustration he inadvertently alerted a concerned Jasper to his whereabouts.

Jumping on the first poor unfortunate deer he came across Edward pierced the flesh at its throat with such ferocity it made Jasper startle in his vantage point high up in a pine tree a quarter mile away. It also meant that Edward wasn't thinking clearly and all his hard fought battles with the amount of venom and his need to keep the kills 'clean' flew out the window as he vented his aggravation on the poor animal.

As its blood flowed into Edward's mouth it also ran down the gap between his lips. It coated his fingers and soaked into the cuff of his sleeve. It wouldn't coagulate because his overflow of venom had mixed with it, so it coursed down the side of the animal's throat freely.

Jasper, high up in the tree, smelled and saw the blood himself and knew exactly what was going to happen before Edward himself did. To Jasper it was like watching a movie in slow motion. To Edward it happened so much faster.

He broke the 'kiss' and let the deer fall at his feet and as he resumed his stance above it he welcomed the queasy nausea that roiled in his gut. He surrendered to the blackness of the faint because he knew that oblivion would follow for just a little while. The only way to escape his rampant emotions was to succumb to its weight and that's exactly what he did. He didn't fight it. He welcomed it with open arms and as his head hit the ground beside the spent carcass he actually sighed in happiness.

Jasper was by his side in an instant but there was nothing to be done. He'd listened hard when Carlisle had explained to them Edward's reaction to blood and he'd watched closely when he'd come across Bella that day the guy had fainted on the hunt. So he knew what to do, which was nothing too much at all.

So he sat by the guy's prone body and did as Carlisle suggested. He wiped the blood off Edward's hands and folded back the cuffs on his shirt so the smear wouldn't be noticeable when he came to. He sent a text to Carlisle and one to Esme to let them know what had happened and that he had the sitch under control, and then he waited.

Thirty-four minutes later Edward came around. Growling, snarling and confused just like he'd been that other time. But Jasper sat calmly and quietly until the guy had gotten his bearings. When the growling turned into a soft rumble he stood. "You alright, dude?" he asked casually, knowing the guy was going to be embarrassed.

"I'm good," Edward barked and continued to stomp about angrily. Raking a hand through his hair he paced a little then stilled. "How long this time?" he asked an amused Jasper.

"Thirty-four minutes, it's getting less," Jasper laughed.

Laughing too, though it wasn't as funny to Edward as it was to his new brother, Edward began to relax slightly. Thankful that it was Jasper who'd come after him and not Bella he thought about all the nasty, hurtful insults she'd flung at him the times they'd hunted together. It just made him mad. Jasper was laughing but Edward knew it wasn't at him, it was at the situation. It was at Edward's phobia. Not at Edward himself. Bella always laughed at _him_. She made his blood boil and confused him so much. "I wasn't thinking," he muttered more to himself than to Jasper. "She just turns hot and cold so fast," he rambled as he paced. "I can't hunt in that frame of mind; I forget to seal my lips over the wounds."

Not having any idea who the 'she' was Jasper went with the hunting issue, "You'll get better at it, trust me. You could always try and slow the process down a little," he suggested as they began to walk back towards the path. "If you're too wound up when you come across some prey just hang back, take a few minutes, whatever, and when you're more settled attack then. Go through it all in your head before you strike. Make a plan. Stick to it."

It was good advice. "Thanks," Edward mumbled.

"You're welcome," Jasper added. Never one for needless conversation, either of them, they began a slow jog home. As they came to the back of the yard Esme came into view on the decking and Jasper peeled off a little, knowing Esme would want to check her new son over. "You did good," he told Edward as he began to go left towards the garage, "Just get your head in the game before the game starts."

Thanking him again Edward approached Esme. "You heard?" he asked, embarrassed.

Esme folded him into a tight hug and Edward sank into it gratefully. "Don't be cross with Jasper, it's what we do. We look out for one another. He just sent a message, that's all."

Letting him go she stepped back and looked him up and down. Edward did the same. He was a wreck. Filthy from the hunt and from the fall. "I guess I should go and change," he said quietly and went past her into the house and up to his room. Sniffing outside Bella's door he shook his head and went through into his own.

Not understanding the cryptic conversation between Esme and Edward made Bella's belly tighten. Something had happened on the hunt and Jasper had been there. Had Edward fainted? It was the only scenario she could think of and the smell of deer blood on him as he'd stood on the landing all but confirmed it for her. Listening for his shower, and sighing in relief when she heard it, wasn't nearly as good as seeing for herself that he was alright. But there was no way she'd go to him.

It would hurt too much to be told that he didn't need her. She'd suggested he hunt after the delivery guy left because she knew he'd need to. She'd suggested it hoping he'd ask her to go too. But he hadn't. He'd gone with Jasper and that hurt.

So she stayed in her room and listened to the sound of the running water and wished her feelings away.

Day two began much as the first had, but with the inclusion of Bella in the kitchen for the family gathering before the day began in earnest for the Cullen's.

On Bella's side she attended because she couldn't hide forever and because if she desensitised herself to his presence she might be able to teach herself to only see him as a brother.

On Edward's side it was about tamping down his feelings and seeing Bella as a brother should. She only wanted to be his sister and he had to get used to that. She wasn't his friend, she didn't want to be his friend and she had fulfilled her obligation to Carlisle. That was an end to it.

Doing her best to ignore the already evident changes in him Bella perched herself on the kitchen stool and tried to look everywhere but at Edward. It was folly, of course. He was like a sleek lion and she was an in-heat lioness. She noticed everything about him. His scent stung her nostrils. His nearness made her stomach clench and her sex ache. His voice rang in her ears and made her venom flow. Not realising she was clenching and unclenching her fists she fought the need to run to him and check him over from head to toe. The need to touch his face, his shoulders, to run her thumbs over the backs of his hands was so acute it made her insides quake. She fought the need to feel for herself that he was alright. She'd never needed to do that to anyone, ever, and it frightened as well as excited her. She found herself taking note of everything about him in the split second it took him to find a seat of his own.

The snug fit black jeans made his thighs look slim but she knew better. They were well defined and muscular under the thick fabric. The plain black t-shirt did nothing to hide his chest and upper arms though, and Bella found herself grateful that Alice hadn't covered him up completely. Gone were his loafers and now he wore matt black shoes that were obviously expensive and handmade.

The only thing about him that remained true to form was his hair. The floppy copper mess still hung across his face and provided a curtain for his eyes to hide behind. To Bella he didn't seem all that comfortable in his new clothes and she found herself worrying about that. He needed to find a version of himself he could be happy living with or he was going to spend forever discontented.

Not able to meet his eyes as he wished her a good morning Bella simply nodded and looked out the kitchen window, doing her best to join in the conversations going on around her, all the while plainly ignoring Edward.

Edward did his best to join in the conversation without being caught staring directly at Bella. He was shit at it and everyone – except Bella who hadn't looked at him in twenty minutes – could see what he was doing. Nobody passed comment but their siblings were capable of joining dots for themselves. Something was up in Dodge.

Unbeknownst to the two playing their silly game the four Cullen siblings gathered in the forest beyond the house and gossiped for a good hour that morning. None of them had ever seen Bella so unhinged. Edward's new confidence wasn't quite as disturbing as Bella's obviously fake indifference to it, but it was noted. Unwilling to get involved lest they upset what was, for now, none of their business, they each agreed to listen, watch and wait.

After the group had split their separate ways Edward made for the stairs and Bella followed. Bella watched his ass the whole way and Edward wished he'd held off half a second longer so he could watch hers as she went ahead.

Coming to their own doors on the landing they each turned to one another and began speaking at the same time.

"Where are your glasses?" Bella asked but was overridden by Edward asking, "What are your plans for today?"

Neither heard the other. Neither wanted the other to repeat their question so they smiled weakly at one another and went into their own respective rooms with a huff.

Bella was sitting in her room minding her own business when a roar so loud it shook the whole house erupted. She was on her feet and running before it had come to its logical conclusion.

Ignoring the 'we don't go into one another's suites uninvited' rule once again she flung open Edward's bedroom door and rushed inside.

Sitting at his desk, head in his hands, moaning steadily Edward was in obvious agony.

"What is it?" Bella shouted as she surveyed the room and came up with nothing. Edward was mute. Running to his bathroom she checked there was nothing in it that could hurt him. Had she been in any fit state of mind she'd realise how silly that was, but her need to protect him had overridden any sense of logic by then. Edward, _her_ Edward, was in pain and she needed to assess and assist. Once the room seemed clear of anything threatening she moved across his bedroom and demanded to be told what his problem was. Sinking to her knees in front of him she put her hands onto his thighs and squeezed, hard. "What is it?" she asked an obviously distraught Edward.

Esme came running and when she got to the door she asked the same thing but he said nothing, just continued to moan into his hands. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Esme asked, panicked.

Spying the open newspaper on his desk Bella sighed sadly. She mouthed the word 'funeral' to her mother and Esme backed away down the hall quietly. Esme slipped out of the house without a sound and left Bella to it. She too had noticed Bella 'not noticing' Edward over the kitchen counter that morning. She too knew that her daughter was playing at something.

All thoughts of playing any game were gone from Bella's mind as she read the small, impersonal message in the newspaper. Agnes and Eddie Masen were being laid to rest today.

Bella knew for certain that Edward hadn't known about it prior to reading the notice in that morning's paper. His pain was evident as he shook and shivered. Had he had time to digest the information before now he wouldn't be quiet so upset Bella thought as she continued to rub his thighs.

He refused to meet her eyes and she understood that immediately. He refused to speak and Bella understood that too. How do you put voice to the knowledge that you're mother is being buried and you aren't there because for all intents and purposes you're being buried too?

Couple that with the knowledge that the body being buried in your name is someone you yourself killed in cold blood and you had the makings of a mental breakdown that a grain silo full of Prozac couldn't cure. Hell, a doctor could shoot pills the size of the moon out of a cannon into his open mouth and Edward would still feel as bad as he did now.

Rubbing his thighs softly Bella simply sat there and waited. And waited. Bent almost double, sobbing into his hands, Edward cried and cried for his mother and for his crime.

Cooing softly Bella let him. There was nothing she could do or say that was going to make this pain go away. There was nothing she could ever do for him that could alleviate everything he was feeling. But she could sympathise and she could empathise.

"Come," she whispered after a little while of just sitting there watching him come apart at the seams. Bella tugged at his sleeve and a very reluctant Edward let himself be led to his sofa. It was the same as Bella's, just navy instead of purple and it sat under his windows just as hers did. Pulling him down beside herself Bella pushed and prodded until Edward was lying across her lap. She plunged her fingers into his hair without worrying what it was going to do to her resolve to stay neutral to him. She stroked his hair, and his face, and just let him cry. There were no tears but the process was that same as when they'd been human. The pain was the same and for all their inherent strength the uselessness they could feel when faced with something as monumental as this was identical to that they would've felt as humans.

"I let her down," he sobbed, scrubbing at his face needlessly.

"I know you think you did," Bella soothed softly. "But this wasn't your fault."

Shaking his head, still sobbing, Edward disagreed. "I should've been strong enough to call for help first," he mumbled against her lap.

Bella still didn't really know what had happened the night Agnes had died, Carlisle had never divulged the information and Edward had never mentioned it other than to say that he missed his mother. It didn't take much to work out what he meant though. Eddie had passed out from the sight of the blood before he could raise the alarm. "I know you'll feel guilty about that for a very long time," she replied because there was nothing else to say really.

"There's a man being buried today that doesn't deserve to be dead," Edward whispered. "I killed him. It only took a second and I didn't mean it, but I killed him."

"I know, darling, I know," Bella whispered in return, still stroking his hair. The endearment slipped from between her lips without her needing to think on it. It felt so natural to be spoken, and for Edward to hear it from her, that neither bothered acknowledging it. "I know it doesn't help, because it didn't help me either, but it's a part of who you are now. Hunting animals is fine, but we're vampires, Edward. It's what we're designed to do, kill people I mean. Nobody likes it and that's why we work so hard to overcome and avoid it, but it is your nature now and it's mine too."

"Why can't we just drink a little bit?" he asked sadly.

"I don't know," Bella responded just as sadly. "Maybe it's a design flaw..." she trailed off as Edward sat up and faced her. Staring into his sad eyes her gut clenched for him. For all the progress he'd made he was still so lost. It would take time, she knew that from personal experience, but he would come to terms with everything he'd done and what he now was eventually.

"Have you ever done that, you know, hurt someone?" he asked cautiously, unable to say the word 'kill' now that they were eye to eye.

Nodding sadly Bella admitted that she had. "Right after my change," she confessed. "Esme and Rose took me out to hunt for the second or third time and we crossed a human scent and I took off. I couldn't help it any more than you could I'll bet, but yeah. I hurt someone too."

"And since then?" he asked, his tone hopeful that it had been a one off because he was desperate to believe that he was going to conquer his thirst and that his two mistakes would be his last.

Shaking her head sadly Bella couldn't lie about this one thing to him. As much as she wanted to, to spare his feelings and to give him confidence, she couldn't lie about it. Hiding her feelings from him was one thing, lying about her own mistakes was quite another. It would do nobody any good to hide what they'd done. "Two more," she whispered, hanging her head. "Four months after the first and then another one six years ago."

Sitting straight up against the back of the sofa, his interest in her words shining in his eyes, Bella steeled herself for the rush of questions he was bound to ask now. And sure enough, they came tumbling out. All new vampires did it, they couldn't not. A connection with others that were the same was a normal thing to want. This type of connection with her could be dangerous for her heart, but the thought of denying him the bond her personal information would create hurt more than the thought of not sharing it with him. Come on Edward, Bella thought as she waited for his first question. Come on, you _have_ to ask, I can see it on your face.

"How long have you been this way?" he did ask eventually.

"Fourteen years," Bella told him simply. "And before you ask, Esme changed me."

His eyes widened at that and Bella gave him a small smile. Nobody ever thought of Esme as anything other than the sweet, gentle lady she was, but everyone in the Cullen household – barring Edward – knew her to be the ruthless vampire she really was. "Esme?" Edward asked rhetorically. "Why did she do that to you?"

Bella smiled. "It wasn't done _to_ me, Edward. It was done _for_ me. There is a world of difference." Turning to face him a little more, and bringing her knee up onto the sofa in front of herself, she took his hand into hers. Again the sweet sting of physical contact jolted her but she remained as facially indifferent as she could while she stroked her thumb across his. "What your sire did to you was wrong. That's what they're called, if they're a guy. Your sire. Esme is my dam, just in case you were wondering. And if you ever decide to sire someone yourself you should know that it was very wrong what was done to you. Not because anyone wanted you dead, truly dead, but because you don't drink from someone, change them and leave them to fend for themselves. That's a disaster waiting to happen, as you yourself can attest. What Esme did she did because I'd have died if she didn't." Swallowing hard and preparing to tell her story for the very first time Bella watched Edward's eyes as she began her tale.

Edward listened with rapt attention as Bella told him all about her life before the Cullen's. Trying not to romanticise it Bella told him the stark, cold truth. The loss of her father had sent her into a flat spin from which she could see no escape. She'd attempted to take her own life and had reached out to Esme at the last second.

She told him all about her struggle with her own change and about how she'd felt upon waking a vampire. She described her thirst and how the others had helped her control it. She admitted to feeling so alone and so confused that first year and how she found her feet again with the help of the others.

Edward was so relieved to hear it all. Hearing it from Bella's own lips that what he was feeling she'd felt too was more comforting than any false platitudes could ever be. Hearing it from Bella was important to him. That it was Bella telling him her story so he'd understand his own better made him feel more able to handle his own thoughts and feelings.

He asked all the expected questions and Bella told him truthful answers. They talked about how she'd had to empty her childhood home too and how it had made her feel to leave it all behind. Bella explained that she too had had to live through the pain of knowing her friends and some distant relatives had attended her fake funeral. With no body to bury she'd had to wait six long years for the state to finally declare her missing presumed dead before anyone could mourn her 'death'. Edward admitted, after hearing her speak about that, that he felt so terribly guilty knowing that there was a man in a coffin being lowered into the ground in his name. Bella did her best to empathise but their situations, though similar to all other vampires situations, were also incredibly different she admitted she just couldn't fully understand how he felt about that. But she did her best to listen as he spoke.

They discussed how it felt to be amongst the Cullen's and how hard it was to slot into an established family. Bella explained how she and Esme had spent weeks and months together, while the others were otherwise engaged with their own lives, just being together and forming a bond for themselves. After Bella was comfortable with Esme the rest fell into place.

"But she changed you; I don't know who changed me. I have nobody to spend that time with," Edward lamented sadly.

Smiling gently Bella reached between them and took her hand back into his. "It doesn't matter," she soothed, "I'm here."

"You don't owe me anything," Edward sighed without thinking. "Our arrangement is done, you said so yourself."

Bella was up off the sofa in the blink of an eye, hating that their bond was once again stretched to breaking point while she lied through her teeth. "You're right, I don't owe you anything," she said as calmly as she could when in reality her heart was breaking inside at the lies she was about to weave. "And you don't owe me anything either. We had a deal and now it's done. I did what our father asked me to do."

"Of course you did," he all but laughed as he too got to his feet. "You had a deal with Carlisle. You were nice to me because you had to be, not because you wanted to be. Its okay, I understand. You don't like me, I'm not offended. I wasn't very likable as a human so now shouldn't be any different. We were thrown together out of necessity, not because we liked each other. You fulfilled the deal when you left me at the beach to test me and I passed."

Bella was stunned. She'd played her part so beautifully that Edward believed the lie she'd perpetuated. She was free to go her own way and she didn't need to worry about Edward any longer because he believed the lie. "You're right. I had a deal with Carlisle and I did what I was asked to do. I helped you close out your old life and you're here living your new one. You're so right," she nodded. Waiting only long enough to see Edward nod his agreement she turned on her heel and fled the house.

"Get out of the fucking shower," Bella screamed across the hall at Edward's closed bedroom door. Grinning from ear to ear Bella returned to her own bathroom and turned the hot tap on full blast and waited for the resulting shout from her asshat of a roommate. Smiling evilly to herself once he did shout she shucked her own clothing and got under the lovely hot spray.

Each floor had its own water supply but it wasn't endless and it wasn't an individual feed to each of the bathrooms. That meant that they couldn't both be in their showers at the same time, and Bella loved that.

She finally felt more like her old self and she had Edward himself to thank for that. He'd skipped out of any conversations she was involved in and had avoided her like the plague at every opportunity since they'd talked the day of his supposed funeral. Over the previous forty-eight hours she'd tried to get him to run with her like a sister would but he'd refused. She'd tried cornering him downstairs and trying to have a hurried, whispered conversation so she could gauge where he was at, as a sister should, but he just wouldn't have it. She'd even stooped to ambushing him on the landing outside his bedroom door when he came in at night but still he wouldn't have a bar of her. He didn't want to hunt with anyone, not just her, and he didn't want to socialise with her either. He was doing just fine with the others and they seemed to like him so she felt that it was alright to just give up trying to maintain a sisterly approach. So she did.

He'd made it obvious that he didn't want anything further to do with her and she'd had to give up her attempt at 'playing nice' like a sister should. He'd drawn the line in the sand and she had to abide by that. It was better that way anyway.

So she'd reverted to being a snarky bitch. It suited her much better after all. It was her calling. It was her niche. She didn't need anyone and she didn't need anyone depending on her and Edward had made that easy.

He'd never mentioned her note and she could see no reason to bring it up after nearly three days so she let that go too. He'd made himself perfectly clear by saying nothing to her at all. He'd thought she was an unfeeling bitch the day they'd fought and he had told her he didn't need her help anymore now that their arrangement was void. He'd called her his sister that first night and since then she'd behaved like one. Albeit an annoying one.

So far, in two days, she'd managed to rag on him for his floppy hair, hang shit on him for the new clothing, tease him about being a pussy for needing to hunt twice a day and what she considered her coup-de-grace...manipulating him into a three hour session on the Xbox with Emmett.

He'd been horrified at the thought and that had pleased her so much she'd needed to flee the house and dash into the forest to laugh her ass off.

Edward had done his best to learn about the Xbox and its games but it just wasn't for him. He leapt when he should've crouched, he ran when he should've combat-crawled and he died when Emmett needed him for back up.

He spent the entire three hours trying to remember which button on the controller did what. He'd been indoctrinated roughly and then bellowed at for failure. Emmett attempted to 'help' by dropping extra ammunitions at his feet but Edward had mistaken a nearby BBQ for the ammo box and had spent fifteen minutes trying to pick that up instead of the much needed bullets.

When Edward's character died a most undignified death on the battlefield Emmett instructed him on the finer points of 'tea-bagging'. A charming ritual where the loser lies prone on the ground while the winner waves his balls in the losers face. It was humiliating and embarrassing and everyone in the house had guffawed loudly as Emmett flouted his win.

Edward was so happy when another hour later they lost a team game he'd sprinted up to his room, ecstatic that Emmett cursed him the whole way. Hopefully that had discharged his obligation for playing video games with Emmett.

Bella's scent was thick and strong on the landing when he got there as it always was. It still tormented him. _She_ still tormented him.

He'd cut her loose just two days prior and even though he knew it was the right thing to do he loathed how it had made him feel. Seeing the relief on her face as he'd said the words had crushed him. Learning her story had been cathartic for Edward, but watching her leave his room happy to be relieved of her babysitting duties had hurt like nothing else ever had.

She was free of him but he was never going to be free of her. Ever. Everything about her ignited what he now was. He was more aggressive because she was near. He was more emotional because she was in the house. He was louder because he wanted her to hear him better. He was more stubborn because the more clear she made it that she didn't want anything to do with him the harder he had to work to keep her at arm's length himself.

Cursing himself Edward stood in his shower stall and put his painful erection into his palm again. That was becoming a new ritual all of its own. The more she bitched him up the more he wanted her. The more she nagged him the more explosive his orgasm was. The snide remarks, the raised eyebrows, the sniping at his change in clothing all heightened the anger and the need and the desire. The bigger bitch she was the more he wanted her. Because he finally knew what she was doing. He'd finally worked her out.

The day she'd told him her story she'd been totally honest with him for what he could guess was the first time. She'd admitted her weaknesses and told him of her failures. She'd been all in. They'd spent hours sitting on his sofa sharing and he knew, deep in his gut he just knew that that was the real Bella. Fragile, lonely and just as afraid of her future as he was about his.

And then, right at the end, at the mention of who it should be that spent time with him, to help him adjust to being a Cullen, she'd shut down. Just like that. Like a switch being flicked she'd risen from that sofa and had turned into the fierce unfeeling Bella he'd seen so often. But he knew better now. It was all a defence mechanism.

The old Eddie Masen might have been a social hermit but he understood people. His social ineptitude afforded him the time and the invisibility to watch and learn and he'd seen Bella raise the walls around herself in his room that day. The merest mention of him needing her still and she'd run. Plain as day. And ever since she'd been playing a part, a character of her own design. But he saw through it.

When he'd first arrived he'd sought her out and she'd continually denied him an audience. When he'd tried to apologise after their fight she'd brushed him off. When he'd attempted to play nice like a brother should she'd shouldered him out the way and fled, and it made him feel like shit.

But, as soon as he'd stopped trying to reach her she'd switched direction. When he ignored her she sought him out. When he denied her his time she tried to corner him. And Edward was a smart guy. He might not understand women but he had worked this one out.

She was fake. A phoney. And she was as transparent as glass when he knew what her game finally was.

She was terrified to feel. He knew it as clearly as he knew that his ignoring her was making her frantic. She was afraid to admit she liked him and she didn't look at him with distain, she ogled him. Her eyes bored into him when she thought she could get away with it.

She hated the way he was dressing because she'd become fond of his old clothes. She scowled at him because he wasn't wearing his glasses. She bitched at him for needing to hunt twice a day not because that made him weak but because she missed going with him.

Edward was a smart, smart guy. And he was also enjoying watching her squirm.

Honesty would've been the far better option but she wasn't being honest with herself so she couldn't be honest with him. He'd wait her out. And in the meantime he'd jack off in the shower to the thought of her wet and salty and sandy at Strawberry Bay.

Eddie Masen had been a sap. Edward Cullen was a man with a plan.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading. **

**Please review. **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: For those who are getting frustrated at the slow burn, sorry, but that's how this pair are. She's going to fight and he's going to fight back. If it was as simple as meeting one another and falling in love this story would've ended at chapter one. **

**There's a ways to go and I have already promised a HEA...stay or flounce...the end result will be the same. She's going to fight him all the way and he's going to push her to breaking point. **

* * *

"_Due to recent budget cuts the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off," Bella chuckled as she threw the switch on the power to the top floor, plunging Edward and his new laptop into darkness._

"_What the fuck," Edward hissed as the lights went out and all his 'scratchings' as Bella called them were lost as the laptop powered down. _

_Bella, laughing her ass off as quietly as she could scaled the outside of the house and ducked back inside her own bedroom. Moving to her door and settling a look of disbelief on her face as best she could she met a pissed off Edward on the landing. "What happened?" she asked innocently. _

"_I've no clue," Edward said, staring at her intently. "Are you afraid of the dark, little girl?" he growled heartily. _

_Swallowing hard Bella began to shake her head. "No," she whispered, stepping closer to him. "Are you, Eddie-kins?" she giggled. _

"_Don't fucking call me that," he hissed and slammed the door behind him as he went back into his own room. _

_Damn! Bella thought, that didn't work at all. She closed her own bedroom door with a thump and cursed her bad luck. He should've just been stepping out of the shower and come out on to the landing half naked. _

'_Give it up' every other Cullen thought from their own suites._

* * *

Five days after officially becoming Edward Cullen the documentation to prove it arrived.

It should have been Bella who soothed Edward as he stared down at his new birth certificate, driver's license and social security documents bearing the name of Edward Anthony Cullen for the first time. But it wasn't because Bella was still hiding from him. So it was Esme who stood with him and helped him come to terms with what he was looking at.

"He's done a good job," Edward said vaguely, staring down at the birth certificate that all but wiped out his history.

Smiling kindly Esme agreed. "He has to be good at it, sweetheart. Living as we do wouldn't be possible otherwise." Edward shrugged and Esme's heart clenched for his pain. Having these wonderful people to care for was magical but watching each of them go through this was hard for Esme. Putting a hand to his shoulder and squeezing lightly she whispered conspiratorially, "These papers say you're Edward Cullen but you'll always be Eddie Masen Junior in your heart. And as we move about you'll have the opportunity to be him again someday. It's a great feeling, being truly yourself again after years of being a Cullen. Look forward to that and see this for what it is, darling. A necessary change so that you can continue living."

She was so kind and sweet and wise. She knew just what to say and Edward was grateful that it was Esme that Bella had learned her compassion from. "Thank you," Edward told Esme who simply smiled, squeezed his shoulder a little and then left the room.

Six days after becoming a Cullen the mailman delivered a credit card, ATM card and a bank statement all in the name of Edward Cullen. The sting of that was less than the day before and on the seventh day when the change of title deed for Edward's business arrived it was old hat. He merely shoved the new documents into his satchel and went about his day as normal. His old life was gone but Esme had been right. He'd be Eddie Masen Junior again one day and until then he would try to enjoy being Edward Cullen.

Edward changed so much in the following few days he hardly recognised himself anymore. And as he'd suspected all along the more he changed the pissier Bella got with him.

And her attempts to get his attention were brilliant. Childish but brilliant.

The more he ignored her the more often she went out of her way to taunt him or to corner him. But he wasn't buying the bullshit she was selling. By the eighth day in the Cullen house he was all in. He wanted her. Badly. Wholly. All or nothing kind of want.

Of course, him being the former Eddie Masen Junior he had no idea what that entailed, but he liked the idea of it. He'd never had a girlfriend, never kissed anyone or touched anyone for anything other than comfort. But he made up for lost time in some ways and bided his time in others.

Taking every opportunity he could he touched her. The prickle of electricity he felt each time he did made him happy. It proved that what he was feeling for her and about her was real. And he knew, without needing to ask, that she felt it too because she never once avoided the contact. She let him touch her and he saw in her eyes her reaction to it. Shouldering her out of his way was his favourite form of contact. Stepping by her wasn't nearly close enough so he always made sure their shoulders met. It made her scent bloom and her trying to hide her satisfaction at the contact with a scowl was amusing. A close second was flicking her hair. It was a brotherly thing to do and the other boys did it often, but when they did it she squealed and retaliated by slapping them. When Edward did it she sucked in a huge gulp of air and growled. It was the sexiest, kittenish growl he'd ever heard and he'd gotten off with it ringing in his ears more times than he could count on one hand. His third most favourite was turning the tables on her. She'd taken to trying to corner him. He saw it as isolating him from the herd to pick him off in secret, but in reality she was as desperate for his attention as he was for hers. He wasn't going to give it to her, not the kind of attention she wanted, but he loved it when she tried to take it from him. So after a few days of side stepping her attempts he tried it for himself.

Living on the same floor had its disadvantages but if he timed his exit from his room well enough he could step out of his door and 'accidentally' bump into her on the landing. She always stepped backwards and he always followed, stepping up to her and placing both of his hands above her head on either side of the hall wall.

She always closed her eyes, always dragged in his scent and always, always returned her eyes to his angrily. She never backed down. She never spoke either and that made the encounters impossibly hotter. It was as though there was some unspoken rule about how they should meet. Usually he'd step away immediately. As soon as he'd gauged her response he'd step aside, his relief that the attraction was still there palpable. Her scent drove him insane and his erection was instant so he had to step away to avoid embarrassment or the tipping of his hand too soon.

The fifth time he managed to manufacture the meeting he got bold. He'd never been a sexual being before, and never aggressive with either thought or action, but Bella drove him to it. His need for contact with her was so consuming he went out of his way to gain it. When she stepped out onto the landing he was there, waiting. When she backed up he was there, advancing on her. When she met his eyes he was there, ready to pounce. Without waiting for her usual rituals of retreat he lowered his face to her throat, just below her ear, where he'd had the extraordinary pleasure of rubbing his thumb that night at the beach. He didn't touch her, but he didn't need to. Close enough was close enough for what he wanted in return. Pushing out her chest towards him she was all but begging him to touch her and he knew it. It was what he hoped he'd get, her reaction to his closeness produced a heady scent from her and a deep, ragged breath was drawn in between her lips. Dragging in her scent through his own nostrils he sighed contentedly and then simply stepped away and waited for her to gather herself and move on down the hall.

He followed at a leisurely pace and went about his morning as though it had never happened. Yes, those were his favourite things.

But there were others.

Going on the theory that Bella hated that he didn't seem to need her he began to take real control of his life. He used his new credit card to buy a few books and took the bold step of purchasing an iPod and dock then set about downloading as much music as he could reasonably expect to listen to over the course of a year. He researched eBook readers and bought the best one he could find and set about downloading hundreds of texts onto it.

He didn't particularly like the clothing Alice had picked out for him but he wore it anyway because it made Bella incredibly irritated. He added to his new collection though, a few more casual pieces and some of his usual shirts and pants that he'd worn his whole life and within a week he had a full closet and a bathroom full of toiletries that any modern man would be happy with. Bella always scowled at him when he came out of his room freshly showered and wearing his new style of clothes and he hoped it was because the smell of his soap bothered her, just as the scent of hers bothered him. He hoped she was eyeing his clothing with distain because she liked the way he looked in it and didn't want to admit it, just as he liked the way she looked in her skinny jeans and tight fitted jersey's. But he thought that just maybe she missed the way he used to look, just a little.

He didn't know what Bella spent her days doing because she never seemed to leave when the others did of a morning, but Edward himself had kept busy. He liked his room and he didn't change a thing that had been done for him, but he did fill it with some new personal items. He bought two paintings by a local artist, one a dappled light mosaic of the lake in the national park and the other a landscape showing Strawberry Bay and the steep incline of the trees that led to it. He hung it over his bed and spent many hours admiring it after it was delivered, picturing himself and Bella swimming there.

Lying on his bed daydreaming about the beach wasn't conducive to forward motion, however, so Edward used his time as wisely as he could. Having invested in the commercial venture in Port Angeles the old Eddie had simply let it tick over. He'd never really had a hands-on approach to it because he'd bought it from an owner who had already done the hard yards. He hadn't created it from scratch himself. But he needed to learn all he could about it, and how to run it himself because the new Edward Cullen knew without being told that his money was going to have to work harder now because he was going to live for a very, very long time.

Because he couldn't actually go to work Edward set up a link to the business via his new laptop and set about making changes as best he could remotely. He'd never even known the names of the people who worked there for his benefit. He'd simply paid their wages and signed paperwork that needed signing. But now he spent hours wading through page after page online learning all he could about that business and making plans to make it better. He planned to tackle the business first and once he'd gotten a grip on his thirst he'd be able to go there and run it himself.

The purchase of a laptop and cell phone were one of his first steps towards a more modern life and Bella hated both those items with a passion that rivalled nothing else.

Having supernatural hearing was brilliant if someone was actually making an audible sound, but when Edward was texting, or emailing, there was nothing for Bella to hear and it drove her crackers. Most of the time he was sending blanks and making it look as though he had someone hanging on his every word, but sometimes he really was texting with his new brothers and sisters. The emails were almost always related to his business, but Bella didn't need to know that. If she was in a communal space when he was on his laptop he made sure to 'suppress his laughter' at an incoming email. The effect was always the same. Bella would scowl, huff heavily and more often than not leave the room.

He and Jasper had formed an alliance of sorts and when Edward needed to hunt, and Jaz was available, they went together. Jasper wanted to believe Edward's request for them to leave the house ten minutes apart was to spare his embarrassment at needing a 'spotter' in case he fainted, and he was sure that was a big part of it, but he knew that wasn't the only reason Edward had made the request. The Cullen siblings were well aware that a game was being played – and quite badly too by all accounts – between the newest Cullen and the loneliest Cullen. Neither Bella nor Edward had said anything to their siblings about their feelings or how they saw the other, but all of the Cullen's knew just by being near them that they were fighting a common enemy, but coming at that enemy from the wrong direction.

Edward had no idea how to make Bella feel and Bella was doing everything she could to make sure it never happened. It was stupid and it was futile and everyone around them knew it. Vampires didn't fall in and out of love like humans did. They found mates and they stayed with those mates for eternity. Edward might be a newborn but the feelings he was having were as old as the species itself. Bella might believe she could ignore them, or fight them and she was just young enough, and naive enough, to believe that was possible. But it wasn't. When a vampire found its mate the only thing that would separate them was death. Bella had spent the last fourteen years believing she didn't want a mate so hadn't looked for one. It was still her mindset that as long as she didn't accept a mate she wouldn't have one. That wasn't how it worked and everyone except Bella knew it. A mate was a mate whether you'd searched for them or not. Hers had found her and she was powerless to ignore that.

Edward might not have any clue what a mate was but he'd found his. Bella knew and didn't want one, but the point was moot.

Destiny and Fate didn't play a hand in it either. They were busy squaring off over a Twister mat the day Edward's need to love had awoken and their services just weren't needed. Karma was on vacation, not needed for this escapade.

Edward wanted Bella. It was as plain as the nose on his face, when it could be seen under all that hair. Bella wanted Edward and that too was as plain as the nose on her face, when it wasn't high in the air because she believed she was taking the higher ground.

What to do about it became the family's one thought. If they got involved and forced either one to show their hand the other might flee. If they did nothing either one might waste any opportunity presented through sheer bloody mindedness.

So, after yet another hour long gossip session in the forest after leaving the house for the day the Cullen siblings – this time accompanied by their parents who wanted 'in' on any plans – decided that a more indirect approach was best. Leaving Carlisle to make the arrangements Jasper doubled back that morning and went to stand watch while is new brother hunted.

Ignorant to Jasper's awareness of the 'game' Edward continued to seek out his brother when he needed to hunt. The advice given to him that first time had been good and it worked more often than not. The few times he'd been unable to control his thirst, or he'd not quite disabled his prey and had spilled its blood, he'd fainted and Jasper had sat with him until he'd come around. There was no longer any embarrassment on Edward's behalf and Jasper took it all in stride. So it was true that Edward was grateful for Jasper's assistance, but he wanted Bella to believe that he was hunting on his own.

He hoped she missed going with him as much as he missed her being near.

Bella, for her part, hated that he hunted alone. None of the others did. They still went in pairs or as a larger group and while they always invited Bella along she hated it even more than she had before Eddie had come into her life. She wanted to watch Edward hunt. She wanted to see the bliss on his face once his thirst was quenched. She wanted to watch his long, slender throat pulsate as the blood coursed down it. She wanted to hear him moan and she wanted to hear him groan at the sensations he was experiencing. She wanted to watch his Adams apple bob up and down as he swallowed his excess venom when prey was near. She wanted to ogle his beautiful hands as they manipulated his quarry beneath his leonine body. His hair would fly in all directions as he pounced and would settle about his face as he fed and Bella missed watching that. Her own hunt became a mundane chore and she became bored with it. She simply didn't want to feed anymore. If she couldn't watch Edward do it she didn't want to bother for herself.

She found herself wondering if he'd changed his technique. She could live with all the other changes but not knowing how he was hunting was driving her insane with need.

All the games they played were merely childish taunting compared to what would happen next. Edward, for all his newborn status, was eager to become independent and his first foray into the modern world of cars really set the cat amongst the pigeons for the pair.

Rosalie loved cars. She loved old ones, new ones, muscle cars, classics and bikes too. So when it came time for Edward to think about buying a car it was to his new sister Rose he went for advice.

"What are you needing it for?" she asked as he leaned on the bench in the garage while she tinkered with her own vehicle.

"To drive," he laughed.

"Obviously," she laughed in return. "But do you want to take it into the forest and bash it around or do you want a simple run about town jobbie that just gets you from point A to point B?" she asked, sliding out from under the car and raising her eyebrows at him. "Or," she chuckled, "do you want something big enough to put a body in the trunk, or something comfortable enough to drive that body from coast to coast without needing to stop for gas more than twice?"

"I want something that's fast, modern and that makes me look hot," he laughed as he threw a rag at her to wipe her hands on. "Any ideas?"

"Definitely," she grinned. "Mercedes AMG, the snub nosed one, SL6000. She's not exactly beautiful but what she lacks in looks she more than makes up for in speed. She's light and tricked out she's got everything you should need."

"Will I get one locally or is there someone you can recommend I go to?" Edward asked, fascinated by her passion.

Moving to the bench Rose picked up a white business card and flicked it across the garage to Edward. He caught it with ease despite the speed with which it was thrown. "Ask for Jerry, and tell him Rose will strangle him with his own intestines if he dicks you around on the price," she smiled evilly. "We're friends," she winked and Edward shuddered.

"Um, thanks," he told her and headed back inside to call Jerry.

That had been almost a week prior and when the giant flatbed truck finally roared up the driveway Edward shuddered in anticipation while Bella shivered in apprehension.

Believing Edward would need her to calm him with a human in such close proximity she flew out of her room and ran headlong into a grinning Edward on the landing. He looked eager and not a little bit feral. Shoving her hands hard into his abs she began shouting, "You can't go down there!"

Still grinning Edward pushed back until Bella's ass hit her own bedroom door jamb. "I can, and I will," he growled into her face.

"But..." she began but Edward cut her off by ducking his head and in his boldest move to date, he swiped his tongue up the column of her neck from her shoulder to just below her ear.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone, Isabella. That's my car being delivered and I want to be the one to sign for her," he moaned into her ear and then took off down the landing and down the stairs.

Bella stood right where she was and panted. Touching her fingertips to where his tongue had just been she closed her eyes and drank in his scent. He'd never touched her that way before; his eyes had never burned as they had just then. And all because of a fucking car she thought nastily.

But it wasn't because of the car and as Edward ran down the stairs he had to adjust his trousers to hide his reaction to touching her as he had. He hadn't planned it. The combination of her worry for him – that she'd denied him for weeks – and his excitement at having his very first new car overtook his sense of logic. Her reaction to his touch had startled him even though he'd come to expect it.

Shaking herself out of her fog Bella too tore off down the landing and taking the stairs two at a time she barrelled out the front door and down the porch steps onto the gravel drive thinking she was about to witness a massacre.

Instead she witnessed a miracle.

Edward was standing right beside the delivery driver, signing his new name onto the papers on a clipboard. It was obvious to her vision that he was holding his breath, but there he was, calm as a cucumber right next to a human.

"I'll just back her off the truck and she's all yours," the driver said while Edward nodded frantically.

Bella knew he couldn't speak or his thirst would ignite at the succulent smell of sweaty male but she was in awe of him and stood, open mouthed, while the car was dropped off the back of the truck.

Edward twisting the keys round and round his fingers was the most erotic thing Bella had seen in a week. She'd seen him roughhousing with her brothers in the yard and that had been amusing. She'd seen him angry with her and with himself and that had been mildly arousing. She'd seen him talking with the others confidently and that had ratcheted up her need for him. She'd seen him deep in thought and that had sent her libido sky rocketing but nothing, nothing she'd seen of him so far since meeting him could match what she saw as that car came off the truck.

His stance, his joy, his anticipation all heightened his scent. His smile as that car hit the gravel turned her insides to jelly. His whoop of triumph as he sat in it for the first time was like hearing a child squeal in delight over a Christmas present.

And he'd not shown the slightest interest in her at all. He'd accosted her on the landing but the instant his feet hit the gravel he'd ignored her. His attention was wholly for the vehicle. His eyes didn't waiver from it for an hour. She stood there, on the porch, for an hour and he never looked her way once.

He was lost to her. He didn't need her and he never would now that he'd confronted a human and had conquered yet another vampire trait for himself.

He hunted alone. He ran alone. He conducted his personal business alone. He laughed and chatted with his new siblings and excluded her from all of it. He texted people she didn't know and he laughed at emails from people he didn't want to share with her. He treated her just like he treated Alice or Rose. As a sister. And it nearly killed her inside.

The only thing he did with her and not the others was accost her on the landing outside their rooms. And that was probably because he didn't share the floor with the others, only her. She was just a convenient target for his newfound sense of humour and he obviously got a kick out of tormenting her.

What he'd done just now on the landing wasn't about contact and it certainly wasn't about him seeing her as more than a sister. It was about teasing her some more. It was about rubbing in her face how far he'd come. It was about his determination to control his thirst with the human and it was about making sure she got the message, loud and clear, that he was in control of his own life. It was about making sure she got the memo entitled 'I don't need you or anyone else'.

"Message received," she whispered across the drive to where Edward sat in the Mercedes grinning like an idiot with his new toy. "I get it," she sighed as she went back indoors.

As soon as Bella went back inside Edward hung his head. He dragged in some clean air and after half a second congratulating himself for not eating the delivery guy he began to shake. The smile collapsed from his face. Proud of himself for being able to resist the call of human blood was one thing, but in doing so he'd hurt Bella. And he'd heard her whispered words. He'd gone too far.

Teasing her and goading her for proof of his theory was one thing, actually hurting her with his games was another. And he wasn't at all proud of himself.

He'd seen her there, hell; he'd smelled her come outside with him. He knew where she was because he always knew where she was. Hers was the first scent he searched for in any room or situation and hers was the first face he looked for when coming into a communal area of the house. He felt a pull towards her. She captivated him, even when she was scowling. He knew her every expression, her every sound and her every nuance. He knew her. And he knew that he'd hurt her by ignoring her need to help him with this.

The joy on his face that he'd made sure Bella saw wasn't for the car. It was just a car. It was for her. She'd responded to him on the landing. She'd forgotten to be angry or insulting and she'd responded to his touch. His joy was for that. Solely for that.

He hadn't changed so much that a car – a stupid car with its stupid snub nose and its stupid user's manual that was bigger than the space shuttles – could eclipse how he felt about Bella. The car was nice but it was just a car. If he turned it on it would take him wherever he wanted, but he didn't want to be anywhere where Bella wasn't.

He'd bought it because he could. He'd bought it because he thought that's what everyone expected him to do. Buy a car, conquer his thirst, do something with his time. He'd bought it because he thought it would annoy Bella to see him being independent and making choices for himself.

But it hadn't annoyed Bella, it had hurt her. And he was done hurting her.

Up in her room Bella was thinking the same thing. She was just coming at it from another angle. She was done being hurt by Edward, however inadvertently. It never crossed her mind that the things he was doing he was doing on purpose. She didn't want to think he had that in him. So she went with the theory that he was clueless about the way she reacted to him and about how the things he did and said affected her. She wanted to believe that he was just testing his new boundaries. She needed to believe that he was just finding his confidence and she was his easiest and closest target to practise on. She had to believe that because the alternative, that he was toying with her, would be her total undoing.

Luckily for Edward she went with clueless and not underhanded, arrogant, self righteous asshole.

Unluckily for Edward that she chose the path of least resistance and was deciding to be what she thought he needed her to be. His sister.

Unluckily for Bella, Edward had decided that he no longer wanted her to see him as she thought she should. As a brother. He had to show her that there was more to him than what she saw, more to him than just sad little Eddie Masen with the restricted upbringing and the nerdy interests.

Edward left his new toy in the driveway right where it had been delivered to him and without ever having even turned the engine over he simply got out of it and went into the house to find Bella.

Bella, hiding in her room as always, heard his footsteps approaching and couldn't work out why he'd leave his new toy standing in the drive to come indoors when he was so obviously enamoured with it.

He didn't bother knocking on her door he simply opened it and stormed in. He strode right to where she was sitting at her desk, feet up on the surface, magazine in hand.

"I need to show you something," he told her dramatically.

"I don't think I need a tour of your newest _toy_," she spat.

Sighing at her belligerence Edward tried again. "I'd like to show you something that isn't my car," he told her more softly. "Please, take a drive with me so I can show you who I want to be."

Putting her magazine on the desktop and bringing her feet back to the floor she looked up at Edward through her lashes. He seemed sincere enough. His face was serene and his body language was calm. His plea had tweaked her interest. He didn't seem as though this was another of his torments. "What is it?" she asked, puzzled but interested.

Edward held his hand out in front of himself and cocked his head toward it. Bella eyed it carefully but made no move. She'd fallen for his kindness before. "I'd like to show you something that means a lot to me. Do you trust me, Bella?" he asked calmly.

She'd asked him that once herself and he'd said that he did, and then they'd shared a pivotal moment right after, at that damned beach. Did she trust him? Could she trust him?

Slipping her hand into his she smiled a little. "I do trust you, Edward," she whispered.

The sting of contact made them both fairly swoon, but such was their complicated situation neither of them wanted the other to know, so they both stifled their groans and simply closed their fingers around each others. "A change of scenery is required, I think," Edward told her as he led her to his new car in the drive. The similarity of his statement to the one she'd made when they'd gone to the beach was not lost on either of them.

"Can you go out?" Bella asked as she slid into the soft, supple leather of the Mercedes.

"I can do anything I set my mind to," Edward grinned as the engine roared beneath him, "you told me that. We're not going anywhere near humans, so don't freak out, Smella," he chuckled as they took off down the dirt road.

"Don't call me that," Bella chuckled along.

"I won't call you that if you promise to stop calling me Eddie-kins," he grinned.

"Fine," Bella huffed cheekily. "I suppose I can do that. Where are we going?"

"You'll see," was all he said as he turned the magnificent vehicle out onto the highway and headed for Port Angeles.

Bella stared out the window and watched the scenery float by. He drove well, he was careful and steady. Not like Emmett and definitely not like Rose. They both drove as though everything was a race. Growing up with a cop made Bella, even as a vampire, drive carefully. She'd seen the videos and the ads about road deaths and even though she'd never come off second best in an accident any human she hit would. And just like everything else she'd seen Edward do he concentrated on the road and there was no unnecessary chatting.

She liked that. She liked to drive just like she liked to run. She had a car but rarely used it because there was nowhere she wanted to go, but she found herself enjoying the quiet drive with Edward.

When they reached Port Angeles Edward steered them into the centre of the commercial district. Bella began to worry. They couldn't leave the confines of the car because his thirst would ignite but whilst he was still driving he looked serene, almost pleased with himself.

"You can stop frowning," Edward chuckled, "I held my breath when the driver came. I don't think I can manage that again yet. We won't be getting out of the car; I just want to show you something." Pulling the car into a space in front of a row of shops Edward cut the engine and turned slightly to face her in her seat. "Do you remember me telling Jasper that I owned a business?" Bella nodded and began chewing her bottom lip adorably. Blinking hard and trying to ignore how it made him feel Edward continued on with his speech. "That," he pointed to the music store they were parked in front of, "is mine."

Raising her eyebrows Bella turned to look at the store. 'Heartstrings' was one of her favourite shops. She'd discovered it two years ago while she'd been walking this strip mall looking for something else and she'd fallen in love with it immediately. "You own Heartstrings?" she mumbled.

"I do," Edward grinned. "I bought it with the money my dad left me. I've never really had much to do with it until now. I just paid the wages and signed for shipments. But I've been doing some research and I think I can turn it into something better."

High up in his bedroom Edward had been busy making plans for his future. He'd told Jasper that night that he owned a commercial property and that was essentially true, but he'd never told anyone what sort of property it was.

Eddie Masen had loved books. Truly loved them. The smell, the knowledge they held hidden in their pages and especially the pleasure they gave. Eddie Masen had also loved music. All types of music. Old 60's rock and newer pop music too, and everything in between. He played the piano well and had always wanted one of his own. What Eddie hadn't liked was the modern way music was delivered to the masses. That is what had driven the old Eddie to buying Heartstrings.

Smiling widely the new Edward Cullen began to explain to Bella something important about himself just as she'd shared her story with him. "When dad passed away he left me a good chunk of money. I didn't want to invest it in something static, I was going to invest it in an internet start up company but I just didn't know enough about the industry to make a smart decision." Staring wistfully out the windshield towards his shop Edward began to smile. "And then I saw this place listed and I knew it could be great."

Buoyed by his good mood Bella began to smile too. She had liked this store before. With its quirky book section and its old stuffy armchairs, but what she'd love even more was the vinyl music section. There was something about hearing music from a record, even if it had been transferred to digital, if it was done from the vinyl record it still held its inherent originality. "I've been in there," Bella mumbled.

"You have?" Edward asked surprised. "But you hate old books and old music."

Still smiling Bella began to shake her head. "No, I really don't," she admitted. "But I can't keep a record collection because it's too hard to move all the time and I don't hate old books. I hate old _boring_ books about airplanes and out of date medical research," she giggled.

"Touché," Edward laughed along. "Well I like all those things even if you don't, so I bought the place."

"I'd have remembered seeing you here," Bella whispered nervously. And she knew that it wasn't a lie, she would have remembered him if she'd ever seen him in his store. Even as a human Bella knew she'd have remembered Eddie as he'd been.

"I've only been inside it twice. Once when I inspected it before the sale and again to sign the papers once the sale went through," Edward told her.

"Why didn't you come here? Why did you keep working at the library if you loved this place so much?"

"I had to keep working at the library because I needed the income to keep this place going. I needed time to dedicate to this, to make this into something great, but until it made real money I couldn't give up the other job or spend the time on it that it deserved," he shrugged.

He's so unaware of how fucked up that is Bella thought to herself as she watched a pair of teenage hipsters go into the little shop. "That's such bullshit," she mumbled. "You were afraid to try," she said matter of factly. "You were afraid to break out of your routine and do something you thought you could love because you didn't want to give up the stability of the library."

Well, wasn't that just the fucking pot calling the kettle black Edward thought as he stared at Bella.

She's so afraid to break out of her emotionless, lonely existence and love me because she doesn't want to give up the stability of her life. Wanting so badly to call her on her own bullshit Edward took a deep breath and reached for her hand across the console, and instead he spoke very softly and very calmly. "There are one or two things I think I could love, Isabella. But I can't achieve that on my own." Hoping she understood what he'd said Edward continued on, unwilling to discuss his growing affection for her. "I can't be near humans yet, but you can. I need help to make this place great. I need help from someone who is a friend. I need you."

Blinking rapidly Bella turned a little more so she could look into his eyes as he spoke. His voice was calm and his hand was steady in hers but without seeing his eyes she had no way to tell if he was sincere in his wish. He wasn't hiding from her. His hair was tucked behind his ear and his red ringed eyes were clear and bright. He wasn't nervous, he wasn't scared, and he wasn't Eddie any longer.

Edward Cullen thinks he could love her and he needed her help to make his beautiful little store great. The lure of the store was powerful but the lure of Edward was greater still.

Her fear was so great that she faltered at the hurdle put before her. She saw her future in front of her and turned left instead of jumping the rail and running towards it. She was afraid. "I'll help," she said simply, "Because I'm your sister." Watching his face fall was hard, but it was for the best. They were too different. She was modern and he was old fashioned, despite his new clothes. She was a loner and he was craving companionship for the very first time. She didn't want to be bound to someone.

Slipping his hand from hers Edward took a deep breath and turned to face her fully across the console. He ran his hand through his hair just once, let the breath out and without meeting her eyes began to speak quietly. "If I wanted a sisters help I'd ask Alice or Rose. Esme is the designer and she'd be an obvious choice if I wanted a family member to help me build this place into what I think it can be," he said firmly. Lifting his eyes to hers he could see how nervous she was, even if the slight tremble in her lip hadn't already given her away. "I want us to do this together, build this place together. Not because you're my sister, or even my friend, but because I want you to want to do this with me. Simply for the joy of it. To see it done. To see it be a success with me. I want to do this with you because I think you're as lost as I am. I think you need something in your life too and I want to be a part of that for you, like I want you to be a part of this for me. I don't want to be your brother, Bella. I don't want to be your friend. I want to be _yours_."

Bella stared at Edward a long, long time. She broke his gaze only once and then it was a fleeting look towards the lovely little bookstore and then she returned to meet his stare. "I'll do this with you because I am your sister, or not at all," she whispered as her fearful heart split in two.

She. Would. Not. Give. Up. Her. Freedom.

* * *

**A/N: Fear is a strange, strange thing. **

**Thank you for reading. **

**Please review. **


	15. Chapter 15

"_You're looking lickable," Alice giggles, "The clothes are to die for but if you're going to keep wearing Ralph Lauren you've got to ditch the Walmart hair. Either lose the threads or we're going shopping for some product."_

_Edward, cursing his sister, turns to Bella who's sitting on the edge of an armchair across the room scowling. "Your call," he says with a grin, to which Bella shrugs. Turning back to Alice Edward grins too, "Hook me up Allie," he chuckles as Bella growls. _

"_Oooh, goodie," Alice trills, "The girlies are going to lurve you."_

_Bella's growl is involuntary and nobody misses it. "Fucking bitches," she hisses and runs out the backdoor and down towards the river. _

_Edward, not at all shocked but still amused by Bella's reaction slips his hands into his pockets. "I think I've changed my mind about the product," he chuckles. "Thanks anyway Alice."_

_Grinning from ear to ear Alice pats her brother's shoulder encouragingly, "Don't worry about it. Let's go get online and get you some clothing that's more your own style," she tells a grateful Edward. Turning to him over her shoulder as she reaches the bottom step she giggles again, "But she is right, the women around here are bitches. And it won't matter what you wear, they're going to hump your leg like you've got a bone in your pocket once you get out and about, brother dear. And Bella's going to flip her shit about that."_

_Following Alice up the stairs Edward hopes the women don't hump his leg but is quite willing for Bella to 'flip her shit' if they do. Something had to work._

* * *

Nine days after what Edward considered his darkest day – declaring himself to a reluctant Bella outside his store in Port Angeles – he woke on the forest floor from yet another disastrous hunt.

He'd gone beyond leaping up snarling and snapping and had taken to lying on the ground and just staring up at the treetops as his vision and brain cleared. "How long?" he asked Jasper, whom he could smell but couldn't see.

"Sixteen minutes, a new personal best," Jasper chuckled from his perch in a tree.

Edward waited, knowing Jasper would leap from the tree and join him eventually. He'd been so frustrated, so angry as he'd left the house to hunt that he hadn't thought to ask Jasper to accompany him. But, as had been the case so many times before, Jasper had followed anyway.

When the dull thud sounded to his left Edward looked over and saw Jasper strolling towards him. Slumping to the ground Jasper folded his hands into his lap and waited. This was their regular routine now. Edward on the ground after fainting dead away, Jasper sitting by him ready to hear what had caused it.

"What else can I do?" he asked his brother vaguely.

"About?" Jasper hedged.

Scrubbing at his face with his hand Edward sighed. He was so over their bullshit. The whole family knew what the fuck was going on but not a single one of them said or did a thing to help. "Forget it," Edward spat as he got to his feet in one fluid motion. "I'm heading back."

Jasper said nothing at all. He'd promised the others that he wouldn't even though he knew full well what Edward's problem was. Everyone had noticed the shift between Bella and their newest brother and even though they had no knowledge of what had gone on that day it had been easy to pinpoint the timeframe.

The two of them had been alone in the house as often as possible, as per the group decision to give them some privacy, but up until the day Edward's car had been delivered it had only seemed to make the problem worse. But that day something shifted. Worse turned into catastrophic.

The car had arrived and Edward hadn't eaten the delivery driver so that wasn't the issue as far as anyone could tell. Rose had reported that there was exactly one hundred and thirteen miles on the odometer on the Mercedes and that coincided with a round trip to Port Angeles. Neither of them had been in situ when Esme returned to the house, their twin scents led to the same point in the driveway then disappeared, so it was generally assumed that they'd gone to Port Angeles in the car together. That seemed like a good thing at first. The condition they'd both returned in did not.

Esme reported that Edward had been angry and disconsolate all afternoon and Bella had been close to feral. She'd paced, thrown things about in her room and had barked at Esme when she tried to find out what the problem was.

The car was in the drive when everyone else came home from work and school that afternoon and as usual the two of them were up on the third floor in their respective bedrooms. That was normal. Edward came downstairs that evening as he always did, Bella did not. He was all but mute and looked a wreck. Rumpled clothing and a grim set to his features. The following morning Edward came to the kitchen for the morning chat, Bella did not. He arrived downstairs in the same rumpled clothing he'd been wearing the night before and looked more lost than he had the day he'd met them all. Edward continued to hunt, Bella did not.

It had been nine days and whilst that wasn't a problem for Bella – she could go upwards of two weeks without needing to hunt, as the others could – it was a problem for the family because she refused to join in, anything. She refused all invitations and spoke to nobody. She hid in her room with her iPod either blaring through her speakers or her headphones in her ears. She confided in nobody and went nowhere. She wasn't ever a social butterfly but she'd always joined the others of an evening. Now she didn't appear for anything.

Edward hunted regularly because he needed to as a newborn, but in the days prior to 'car delivery day', as everyone had dubbed it, he hadn't fainted in four full days. Since 'car delivery day' he'd fainted five times in nine days. His phobia was either getting worse or he was emotionally totally out of control. Watching him run home like a madman Jasper was at a loss on which side of the fence his opinion was likely to fall.

As Edward disappeared up ahead Jasper let him go. The guy wasn't ready to confide in anyone and Jasper was loathe to press him to. Transition to this way of life was hard enough without adding a complicated love life to the mix. And Jasper knew, as well as the others did, that this entire situation revolved around love.

Edward still loved Bella, there could be no doubt. Bella still loved Edward; there could be no doubt about that either. They were mates and falling out of love wasn't an option. Jasper's personal opinion was that the shift occurred because one or the other had declared that love and the recipient of the news had not returned the sentiment. Yet.

The girls weren't sure who did what, but the boys were. Edward had told Bella he wanted her, or loved her, and she'd turned him down. Bella was stubborn and Edward was open and gave easily. The girls weren't convinced. The guys saw the writing on the wall in big, bold red letters and it spelled FEAR. Quite clearly too. None of that tagging bullshit that could've spelled 'FWOAR' or some shit. It very definitely spelled FEAR.

Taking his cell out of his pocket once he was sure Edward had reached the house safely Jasper hung back amongst the trees and dialled Carlisle at work. When the call connected he told his father that there had been another fainting incident and that Edward was once again safe and sound at the house.

"It's getting worse," Carlisle agreed with his son during the call.

"I know," Jasper replied sadly. "His heads just not in it. He's so worked up by the time he feeds he just loses it. He's not feeding because he's hungry; he's tearing into his prey because he's frustrated."

"He's returned to some of his earlier habits too," Carlisle said sadly. "The tooth brushing and the shoe polishing are nervous habits now. I've found him trying to set places at the dining room table twice. The glasses are back even though I'm certain he can't see well with them on. He's even begun filling out a notepad in the bathroom again. He knows he's never going to get ill but he refuses to believe that the way he feels is because he's lovesick."

"It sucks, I can see them suffering but I can't do squat," Jasper sighed. "The guy's changed everything about himself but inside he's exactly who he was when he was human. He aint happy, and neither is she."

Matching his sons sigh Carlisle decided enough was enough. None of them wanted to get directly involved but neither could they sit and watch their family members suffer needlessly. "I'll give Esme the go ahead. Go home, tell the others to act normally, but make sure both Bella and Edward hear the announcement that the cousins are coming."

Disconnecting the call Jasper ran home with a smile on his face. Everyone loved it when the cousins came because they stirred things up. With Edward now in residence the Denali girls were going to make things very unpleasant for Bella.

Disconnecting his brief call with his wife Carlisle grinned too. The Denali girls were rampantly sexual. None of them had mates and they weren't looking for them. They loved sex in all its forms and they were going to make serious plays for Edward's virtue. Carlisle didn't need to ask the cousins for their help to show Bella what it was she was passing up because the cousins would do it off their own bat. If it didn't work he was willing to take the rap for it, but Carlisle was a great judge of character and he knew that setting this trio of cats amongst the pigeons would cement things one way or another.

From the safety of his bedroom Edward had gone ahead with his plans for the store on his own. Bella had said she would help as his sister or not at all and Edward had chosen not at all. She'd even had the temerity to look hurt by that, but Edward couldn't bring himself to allow her to hurt him any longer. He'd been honest, he'd shown his hand and she'd folded. He'd stop just short of begging her and she'd denied him, again. He knew she felt something for him, he could see it and feel it, so he simply put that aside and tried to concentrate on the things he _could_ control. She might not want to be with him right now but he had other things to occupy his time while he waited. Nothing was going to change his feelings for her, even if she never wanted him. And nothing was going to change his mind about the store. He'd go ahead alone, just like he'd done everything else.

So far he'd organised for the whole thing to be refurbished and had paid a pretty sum for a baby grand piano to be installed for the use of patrons. New furnishings would follow as would a shakeup of the entire book inventory. He'd spent days locating and buying rare and interesting music in record form and another small fortune tracking down and purchasing the sheet music to match. The staff had met with him via Skype and as a group they made a dot point plan to go forward and make Heartstrings a comfortable place to shop, read and listen to music. Everyone in the house and in the shop was enthusiastic, except Bella, who had taken no part in the process at all.

Declaring his intentions had gotten him nowhere and he'd been a fool to try it. He'd played her games and lost. He'd done everything her way and had still come out alone and confused at the end. He'd switched tactic and done things his own way and had only managed to drive a bigger wedge between them. And then he'd made the ultimate mistake of telling her outright that he wanted her.

He'd never done anything like that and he wasn't likely to try ever again now. Her reaction had been heartbreaking. His super fantastical hearing made his brain think he could actually hear his own heart coming apart at its seams as she'd turned him down.

Sister. He hated that fucking word.

She'd said it so calmly too. No emotion on her face. No tremble in her lip. No fidgeting. No balking. And that had been the killer blow. There had been no negotiating, no promises to try, no mention of starting off as friends and seeing where life took them. Nothing but 'I'll do it with you because I'm your sister'.

He knew she wanted him. He'd seen her staring. He'd heard her growling when he did or said something that excluded her from his life. He'd smelled her arousal so many times and he'd listened to her masturbate so often he knew exactly when she was likely to climax and when she couldn't.

He had no clue why she wouldn't give him a chance. He'd changed everything about himself that she said she hated and still she wouldn't try. He'd kept the one and only thing she said she liked about him –his glasses – and he'd even ordered plain black framed glasses with non corrective lenses. He'd taken charge of himself. He had a goal. He wasn't spending his time reading boring books and listening to music she hated. She'd said he was boring and he'd done everything he could to make her see that he wasn't anymore. He was what he thought she wanted him to be but still she refused to speak to him.

He had no idea what she was so afraid of. He knew nothing about her previous relationships or how she'd conducted her life as a human or since becoming a vampire. She shared nothing and wanted nothing of him. And he had no choice but to accept that because she simply refused to speak to him.

He didn't even know why he wanted her anymore. He thought she was beautiful but beauty was only skin deep. He thought she must be much more inside than he could see because otherwise his brain and heart wouldn't make him want her, but he couldn't see what those things might be anymore. She was sullen and solitary and she hadn't come out of her room since he'd told her he could love her. But he did love her. Heart and soul, mind body and everything in between he loved her.

He had no idea that he'd found his mate because he didn't know what a mate was. He had no clue that the deal was done and that nothing he did or said now would ever change how he felt about her. Nothing he could do, no notion he could conjure and no plan he made to move on was going to work. And he didn't know it.

They lived in the same house, on the same floor, four feet separating them and yet it felt like a gaping cavern divided them.

So Edward gave up trying to change her mind. He would live with his feelings and he'd hold on to them and he'd use his time to build the shop into something wonderful. He'd spend as much cash and as much time as it took to make it happen and once he'd conquered his thirst he'd run it himself. He'd immerse himself in the books and the music and he'd be free to play that magnificent piano at will. And Bella could hide in her bedroom and waste away if she wanted to.

But he'd not waste away with her. She'd told him very firmly that she wouldn't sit by his side and watch him wither away in his family home bored and alone and he had no intention of doing that with her now that the tables had been turned.

He'd been turned against his will and thrown into a whole new world by force. He'd lost everything and now he had a shot at building a life for himself if he was focused and gave it his all.

So that's what Edward did. He was done playing games and he was done trying to wait her out. She didn't want him and even though Edward knew he'd never love another he put that out of his mind and tried to make the best of his situation.

It was Bella who became the bored lonely one who was frittering her life away and like Eddie Masen had been, Bella was happy to be left alone to do it.

She was wound so tight she'd snap if approached and everyone in the house knew it. So they left her alone. She read her chick lit novels and listened to her far too loud music. She hid under her blankets and wished she'd never met Eddie Masen.

But at the same time she also hung on every word spoken within the house. Any conversation that included Edward, or mentioned him, she'd fly off her bed and stick her ear to the door unnecessarily.

She'd heard him on Skype with his employees so she knew all about the big new plans. She wanted to be a part of it but she just couldn't make herself go back on what she'd said in his car. She'd shot down his attempt at a relationship and with that she'd lost any chance she had to be a part of the shop and his life, and she had to stand by that.

By this point even pretending to be his sister hurt too much. So Bella withdrew from everything and everyone. She honestly believed that she'd outgrow and outrun her feelings if she stayed away from him long enough. She'd toyed with the idea of just leaving, moving somewhere else for a while until her heart and head mended. But when it came right down to it she just couldn't do it. She couldn't be away from his scent. So she stayed in her bedroom and allowed herself to be tormented by his closeness.

Every morning, after Edward was finished in the shower, she got onto her hands and knees by her bedroom door so she could get a new hit of his scent as he went downstairs to join the others.

She was truly pathetic and she knew it. But that didn't change a thing she told herself.

She showered and changed her clothing regularly but had not come out of her room since returning from the impromptu trip to Port Angeles nine days prior. She missed her other siblings but it wasn't worth seeing them if Edward was with them. And he was.

She heard them laughing and playing. She heard them talking about his precious business. She heard him moaning and groaning as he jacked off in his shower. She heard him whispering her name as he came and she heard him sighing her name as he came down from it.

She'd done the same and she hated herself for it. She'd stood under the spray of her shower and had brought herself to orgasm with his name on her lips so many times and it made her feel guilty and dirty. She didn't want him but her body did. She didn't want to want anyone, but her brain had made the choice without her consent and it wasn't willing to give the idea up as yet.

Bella knew and understood what a mate was, she just didn't want one. She knew the choice had been made, that her brain had taken one look at Eddie Masen and had decided there and then that he was to be hers. But she didn't want a mate. She didn't want to be tied to anyone.

She wasn't willing to give in or give up her life. She'd seen how he'd lived in his parents' house and it wasn't for her. She might not have any grand plans of her own but she didn't want to get dragged into his either. He might be enjoying himself right now, playing the entrepreneur in his high priced threads, but she knew he'd revert to type eventually and that would mean endless decades of sitting around doing nothing at all. She didn't want that for herself. She didn't know exactly what she wanted for herself, but a century of boredom wasn't high on her bucket list.

Startled from her thoughts by the sound of footfalls on the lawn Bella turned to her windows. Watching his long legs lope across the lawn made Bella's head swim and her sex ache. He was so beautiful when he ran, even with the unhappy set to his lips as he approached the house he was beautiful to her. She listened as he came indoors and said a quick hello to those gathered in the living room. She watched with interest as Jasper came out of the trees at the back of the yard from a slightly different direction. Had they hunted together? Or was it just a run for fun? Either way Bella's gut clenched in longing.

Going back to her bed she was just about to insert her headphones and block out the world when she heard Esme whoop excitedly.

"They're coming!" Esme shouted from the ground floor. "Tanya, Irina and Kate are coming tomorrow for a visit!" she squealed in delight.

She heard Edward ask who they were and as Alice and Rose began to fill him in on where the three women fit in the Cullen scheme of things Bella began to shake.

Kate was insufferable, Irina less so but still irritating and Tanya was a slut of biblical proportions. She was going to take one look at Edward and start drooling. Tanya loved fresh meat. She especially loved newborn virginal fresh meat.

Bella might not know for certain, but she'd put a considerable chunk of cash on any bet where Edward was described as a virgin.

Fuck. The cousins were coming.

"Well, aren't you just edible," the tall leggy blonde simpered at a horrified Edward as she strolled across the drive towards the porch.

Giggling unhelpfully Esme began the round of introductions as the three women came into the house properly. "Tanya, Kate and Irina, this is Edward. Edward these are our cousins from Alaska."

"Nice to meet you," Edward says meekly as the three women advance on him. He takes a seat but they follow. Sitting on the sofa he can only stare up at them as they hover.

"Where did they find you, Angel? Did you fall from heaven?" Irina drawls at a gaping Edward.

Tanya, always the more forward of the three, sits down beside Edward and begins to stroke his thigh with her bright red talons. "Oh, look how frightened he is," she says coyly. "No need to be frightened of us, honey, we're your family now. We'll take very good care of you."

"Let the boy breathe," Kate says sternly to her sisters. "He's a newborn and needs his space, don't you darling?" she smiles sweetly.

Edward visibly cringed at the use of the endearment. Bella had called him that the day his funeral notice appeared in the paper. That hadn't made him feel sick, but hearing it drip from Kate's lips did.

Edward's senses were reeling by the time Esme, Rose and Alice stepped in to draw at least two thirds of the unpleasant equation away to another part of the house. The three women were simply awful. They wore too much make up and their clothing was far too clinging and there wasn't nearly enough of it for Edward's tastes. The mix of their scents made him want to gag.

Tanya, the only one of the three to beg off going upstairs to gossip stayed beside him on the sofa while the other men in the house came to catch up with their cousin.

"How's the hunting up there?" Emmett asked after kissing her on each cheek and taking a seat for himself in an armchair.

"Plentiful," Tanya smirked whilst giving the top of Edward's thigh a good squeeze.

"We've just increased our herd here so the hunting should be good," Carlisle explained as he greeted his 'niece'.

"We will have to hunt together," she said to a horrified Edward. "I'm looking forward to seeing for myself your technique."

"I hunt alone," Edward said as calmly as he could muster.

Stepping in to avoid Edward having to explain why he didn't want to hunt with anyone Jasper rescued a frantic Edward just as Tanya opened her mouth to protest. "How are your businesses?" he asked as he too enveloped the horrid woman in a hug and gave each of her cheeks a peck.

"Very busy," Tanya pouted ridiculously. "There is always so much to be done. Never enough time to play," she said as she winked at a gobsmacked Edward. "But now that we're here we'll make time to play with you, Eddie darling."

"Don't call me that," Edward barked involuntarily. Covering his mouth with his hand he stood, shaking Tanya's grip of his thigh loose. "Sorry, I don't like being called that anymore."

Patting the seat beside herself she coerced Edward to sit back down by promising not to call him Eddie again. She resumed stroking his thigh the instant he was seated and Edward began to throw pleading looks to the gathered men as she began to tell them all about the sister's business dealings.

Up in her room Bella was seething. How dare those bitches behave this way toward Edward?

They'd never made fun of her after her change and Edward was even less prepared to deal with the three gargoyles from the north than Bella had been!

And why wasn't someone rescuing him she thought murderously as she paced the length of her room. She could hear the girls cackling in Esme's suite and was dying to go down there and demand the sisters grim leave Edward alone. But of course she didn't. She just continued to pace.

After a discreet look to the clock on the mantle Edward removed Tanya's hand from his thigh and stood. "I'm due online," he announced and made his way to the stairs. "It was nice meeting you," he managed to force out between his lips before he ran for his life up to the third floor and the sanctuary of his room.

Knowing he'd be heard all evening Edward did as he said he would and logged onto Skype to check on the changes at the store with Lyra, the manager. He liked Lyra, who everyone called Lyric, because she was fastidious and a fantastic manager. Doing his best to block out the giggling from the first floor he tried to concentrate on what he was being told.

When he could no longer legitimately continue with the conversation he closed the connection and turned his laptop off. There was no way he was going back downstairs even though the conversations were still going strong.

What he really wanted to do was run. The cool clean air of the forest would rid his nostrils of the scent of the three cousins and he could waste a good amount of time out there on his own. Texting Jasper his intentions he slipped from the window of his room as stealthily as he could. He hit the ground running and never looked back.

Bella watched him run across the yard and felt a pang of jealously. She too needed away from the house. She too needed to run, and possibly hunt. But most of all she needed to keep an eye on Edward. Not for his sake, but for hers.

Not bothering with a text, or even alerting anyone to her withdrawal from the house she simply jumped from the third floor window and took off into the trees. She didn't look back either.

Edward ran due north, Bella went east. Edward didn't hunt because he'd already had his fill that afternoon, Bella took down two big deer and a third smaller one before her thirst and her anger were under control.

Edward sat on a boulder and thought about all the ways he could avoid the visiting cousins. Bella sat on her ass in the wet grass thinking about all the ways she could murder the cousins without being pinned for it.

They both walked back to the house and they both came out of the trees at the same moment, from their two different directions. Bella gasped when she saw Edward.

He was wearing his new dark wash jeans and he had glasses perched on his beautiful nose. His scent stung her nostrils; undoing all the good the clean air of the forest had done her. The ache in her sex began the instant she dragged in his scent and by the time she reached the edge of the house, beneath her own bedroom windows, she was a writhing mass of want and need.

Edward had to remind himself not to adjust his pants as Bella walked calmly across the yard. The sway of her ass made his balls clench and his venom flow. Her scent assaulted his nose and made his throat thicken. His skin felt too tight, as though his organs were going to bust their way out if he didn't touch her soon.

He watched her scale the outside of the house and ogled her ass unashamedly. The instant she was inside he slid his hand into his pocket and palmed his cock. Closing his eyes he gave himself half a second to gather his respectability and then he flew around to the front of the house and scaled the wall outside his own room.

Bella was already in her shower when Edward got to his bathroom. Deciding a cold shower was exactly what he needed he didn't bother with the hot tap. He tore off his clothing and slid under the freezing spray, his hand already tightly wrapped around his aching shaft. As quietly as he could he stroked himself and as he came he had the image of Bella scaling that wall in the front of his mind. Her ripe ass in her yoga pants had been delectable.

Bella stood under the freezing jets in her own shower desperately trying to rid her mind of the sight of Edward in the backyard, fresh from a run and looking more like the old Eddie she knew because of the glasses. Gripping the tiled soap dish with her free hand Bella used the fingers of her other hand to bring herself to the edge of pleasurable oblivion. It didn't take long. It was the glasses. This time it was the plain black rimmed glasses that gave her what she craved.

Neither the Cullen's nor the Denali's had any idea that there were two Cullen's masturbating in their respective bathrooms way up in the top of the Cullen house. So engrossed were they in their own conversations nobody heard the simultaneous name dropping punctuated with twin sighs marking the end of yet another perfect, tortured moment of two sexually wound up bodies.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading. **

**Please review. **


	16. Chapter 16

"_I'm sick of explaining myself to stupid people," Edward raged as he slammed the door to his bedroom, effectively locking out the red taloned slut on the landing. "I'm not the Jackass Whisperer!" he bellowed when she continued to knock. _

_Sliding his headphones into his ears Edward cranked up the sound on his iPod and lost himself in the music. _

_Tanya, huffing angrily at being dismissed so rudely, made her way back toward the stairs. It was unheard of for her to be turned down and it was ridiculous that it should be the virginal Edward Cullen who was the first to try. No matter she thought to herself as she moved through the house to the ground floor. He'd cave eventually. _

_Bella grinned to herself and slid her own ear buds into her ears. Good for you, Edward, she thought as she too cranked up her music._

* * *

Having escaped the attentions of the cousins for the rest of the evening Edward was feeling confident he could avoid their attentions again if he stayed aloof enough. All he had to do was say how busy he was and retreat to his room.

The next morning he joined the throng of noise in the kitchen and slid onto his usual stool by the counter. He hadn't even fully mounted the chair when two of the sisters descended. Tanya licked her lips very pointedly at him, Kate came to his side and made no secret of the fact that she was sniffing him and Irina, so far the least offensive of the three, merely raised an eyebrow in his direction but said and did nothing too horrible.

"Good morning, Angel," Kate drawled as she moved back to where she'd been before he arrived.

"Morning," Edward mumbled behind his curtain of hair.

"What are you plans today?" Tanya asked abruptly.

"I've got work to do," he told her as matter of factly as he could.

"Ooh, what do you do?" Kate asked in what she probably thought was a flirtatious tone, but was really a cross between a cat being drowned in a bag and a parrot having its neck wrung.

"He has a shop in Port Angeles," Alice offered unhelpfully Edward thought. "A music shop come bookshop actually. You'd like it," she told an interested Tanya.

"You must show me," Tanya said with a wink towards Edward.

"I can't," he said confidently, "I'm not ready to be near humans." That should be the end of that, he thought, satisfied.

"Oh, what a shame," Tanya sighed in the worst impression of disappointment he'd ever heard.

"He runs it from here, from his computer, so maybe he'll show you his plans for the refurbishment up in his room," Emmett grinned to a scowling Edward.

What the fuck were they playing at Edward wondered as he stared at his brother menacingly. Emmett simply grinned and raised his eyebrows up and down to a confused and increasingly pissed off Edward.

"Oh, I'd like that," Tanya chimed with barely concealed excitement. "You must take me upstairs _immediately_," she giggled in an attempt at coquettish that fell seriously short of the mark.

"Yes, Edward, you must, _immediately_," Rose chuckled.

"That's settled then," Tanya announced as she strode towards Edward and tugged on his sleeve.

Up in her room Bella was incredulous. Tanya was a slut and everyone knew it. Why was everyone pushing Edward and her together? Surely they could pick up on how uncomfortable he was? Bella could and she was three floors away!

She listened intently as their footsteps made their way along the landing. She heard Edward open his door and she heard Tanya thank him for ushering her inside. The sound of the door shutting never came and it made Bella smile. Edward _wasn't_ comfortable with Tanya and he'd left the door open as proof of it. He didn't want to be alone with her.

With her ear to the door Bella hung on every word spoken across the landing.

"Oh what a lovely room," Tanya gushed. "Oh what a beautiful coverlet," she complimented. "Oh look, you have such wonderful taste in art," she trilled.

It made Bella want to puke even though it wasn't possible. She'd chosen his coverlet, she'd picked the colours in his room and she hadn't seen his artwork yet. Fucking Tanya had and Bella wanted to rip her arms off and beat her about the head with them.

"These are my notes for the shop," Edward said in such a dull tone Bella couldn't help but do a little victory dance. She imagined him showing her the laptop with a bored expression on his face.

"Oh aren't you clever," Tanya shrieked. "Such imagination," she added as the creak of Edward's desk chair rang out. At least if she was sitting she couldn't touch him Bella thought darkly. "And this space here, what will go there?" Tanya asked. Bella had no idea what the woman was seeing but she could pick a crafty bullshitter from a mile away and Tanya had the stink of a sycophant all over her. She wasn't interested in the shop, she was interested in Edward.

"Piano," he said, sounding bored.

"Ooh, do you play?" Tanya said breathlessly. Edward must have nodded because Tanya just kept right on talking. "You must play for me sometime," she insisted. "Come here; let me see your fingers."

By this time Bella was frantic. What was the bitch up to and why was Edward falling for it she wondered as she began to pace.

"Mmm, piano playing fingers...I love the taste of music," she heard Tanya all but moan.

"Jesus Christ!" Edward bellowed, making Bella jump away from the door. "What is wrong with you?" she heard him yell. "Get the hell out of here," he stormed.

A giggling Tanya took her time crossing the room and by the time Bella could smell her evil scent on the landing she was laughing quite loudly, obviously not caring that she'd made Edward angry. "Oh darling, you taste divine. Whenever you're ready to play a duet with me you just say the words."

Bella had to hold her hand over her mouth to stifle the growl that shot up her throat as she heard Edward slam his bedroom door. She only uncovered her mouth when she heard the retreating footsteps of a cackling Tanya.

The distinct sound of his window opening and the dull thud as he hit the ground was expected. So was the sight of him fleeing down the yard and into the trees. The sound of the sharp rap on her bedroom door wasn't.

"Come in," she told Kate. Her scent was distinct and Bella knew it well.

"How are you, sweet girl?" Kate asked as she came into the room.

"Well, and you?" Bella asked as politely as she could.

Their conversation was short, to the point and completely unnecessary Bella thought once Kate had left again. Bella answered every question about Edward with a lie and smiled smugly to herself at the thought of Kate using her to garner information.

Oh yes, Edward loved being called Eddie. Oh he's not shy, he's playing coy. Oh sure, Eddie loves being touched, especially on his ass. Of course, he loves games of all kinds. He won't mind if you make a pass, he's up for anything. He loves having company in his room. He hates being alone. He loves a good laugh. Huh!

Whatever game the cousins were cooking up they'd get no help from Bella. And Edward had made it clear that he could handle himself, he didn't need her help, so if she'd just thrown him to the wolves it was his own fault.

"How long?" Edward sighed as he came to on the forest floor.

"Fourteen minutes," Jasper chuckled as he slid from the branch and strolled to Edward's side. Putting a hand out for his brother he hoisted Edward up off the ground and then clapped him on the back. "What's going on for you?" he asked, sick and tired of the games being played.

"Nothing," Edward spat as he raked a hand through his hair. "Nothing at all."

"Tell it your way, kid," Jasper chuckled as they began the walk home.

Staring down at his hand Edward's anger began to resurface. "That woman sucked my fingers," he told a stunned Jasper.

"Who? Tanya?" Jasper asked even though he already knew. Everyone had heard what had gone on up in his room and Tanya had crowed about it the second she worked out that Edward had fled the house and she was free to tell it her way.

"Yes, her," Edward hissed. "She asked to see my hands and then she put my finger into her mouth. She's disgusting."

"She's a little full on but she means no harm," Jasper assured him.

"I know I can't catch anything from her but god, I feel like I need to disinfect myself."

Laughing and running on ahead Jasper just shook his head. Edward was disgusted by Tanya and Bella was so jealous everyone in the house could hear her pacing and cursing. Maybe the plan would work after all he thought to himself as he dashed up the lawn to get himself into a good position for whatever Kate had planned. Kate always had something planned; it's why Carlisle had invited the sisters to stay.

Edward walked into a trap from which there was little hope of escape. Coming in through the backdoor he was confronted by the whole group – minus Bella – sitting casually in the living room.

"Edward, dear, come on in and listen to what Kate has planned for the afternoon," Esme insisted.

Edward could see no way around doing exactly what Esme suggested so he took a seat on a spare ottoman and steeled himself for whatever the grinning Kate had in store for them all.

"You must be so bored," she winked at Edward before continuing. "But there's much fun to be had in the forest if one knows what games to play. I don't pretend to be an expert," she said disingenuously with a hand to her heart, where Edward assumed her black heart should be. "But I thought a spot of hide and seek might break your monotony?"

Alice immediately began clapping her hands excitedly. "Ooh, count me in!" she trilled.

"Me too," Rose agreed and pretty soon everyone in the room was 'in' and it was just Edward sitting there wishing they'd all just fall into a deep chasm and leave him alone.

"Well Edward, do you want to play?" Kate begged. "I'll be your partner so you won't get lost and I can explain the rules as we go along."

"Of course he'll play," Carlisle announced firmly and stood from his seat on the sofa. "Tanya why don't you go and ask Bella if she'd like to join us and we'll meet on the lawn in ten minutes?"

Throwing Carlisle the most evil eye he could Edward got to his feet and reluctantly headed through the backdoor with the others. Kate slid her arm through his and began to stroke his forearm with her fingers as she told him the rules of play.

"Teams of pairs will hit the forest in two minute intervals. You can go in any direction you wish but you must stay within fifty miles of here. Don't worry darling," she whispered to a gobsmacked Edward. "I've got a great sense of direction so I'll keep you safe. Before we set off we'll flip a coin to decide which pair is going to be 'it' and they'll stay here until all the other pairs have had their head start. Then its game on."

Before Edward could protest, or beg off the game, Tanya came outside with a smirk on her face and announced to the group that Bella would be joining them shortly. Edward couldn't believe it. Bella wanted to play? Bella hadn't wanted to do anything for weeks and now she wanted to play this stupid game? It made no sense.

But sure enough, two minutes later Bella came outside and joined the group. She didn't meet his eyes and he tried his best not to follow her every move with his.

"Oh dear," Kate said less than sadly, "We're an odd number with you joining us, Bella."

Bella simply shrugged. "I don't mind being 'it'," she announced simply. "You're all paired up so you had better decide which direction you're heading because the first pair needs to leave in three, two, one..." she trailed off.

"Good luck!" Alice called over her shoulder as she dragged Jasper off down the lawn.

Nobody said a word as two minutes ticked down and then Bella counted down for the next pair to set off. This time it was Esme and Carlisle who tore off towards the trees. Another two minutes later it was Emmett and Rose who whooped and hollered their way towards the river. Tanya and Irina set off next and that just left Kate and Edward.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," Kate told Edward when it was their turn to listen to Bella's countdown. "We'll find _something_ to amuse ourselves while we wait for Bella to find us."

"Go!" Bella yelled a little too loudly as the two minutes ticked over. As she watched the retreating backs disappear into the trees Bella whispered to herself, "Run, you bitch."

Bella waited the predetermined five minutes before she followed her prey. She was so amped up from her conversation with Tanya that she took off like the wind, determined to find Kate and Edward before her cousin had time to 'find something to occupy them'.

Hitting the path that led along the edge of the river Bella picked up Edward's scent and stuck to it like glue. It was difficult to work out what was fresh because he'd been all over the surrounding areas often the past week or so as he hunted. But he'd made it easier to keep track of because Kate's rank odour had mixed in with it.

Bella wasn't the quickest of all the Cullen's but she was determined. Coupled with her anger and her frustration she was sure she was going faster than she ever had before.

"Katie has taken a real shine to Eddie," Bella hissed to herself in Tanya's grating accent. "Katie wants a chance to be alone with him in the forest," she sneered as she turned east and followed the turns made by the pair. "He is rather adorable but he's a little timid for my liking," Bella seethed as she recalled the words of her cousin.

Kate might be a bitch but she was also a clever one. She zigzagged all over that forest, Edward in tow, in the five minutes head start she had. She swiped her fingers onto every tree she passed and had Edward do the same. Bella had to change direction so many times she thought she just might achieve what no other vampire ever had – getting dizzy.

For an hour and twenty minutes Bella traipsed up and down false paths. She hissed and seethed the whole time imagining _her_ Edward and her hideous cousin perched in a tree somewhere canoodling.

She found Alice and Jasper by accident. She stumbled upon them hiding behind a boulder on the edge of the forest after following yet another false lead of Kate's. Alice giggled at being caught, Jasper scowled, but they both conceded defeat and headed home in good spirits.

When Edward's scent disappeared at the edge of the river Bella doubled back and found Emmett and Rose snogging in a tree by accident. Emmett had cursed – more for being disturbed from his playtime than from losing the game. But they too conceded defeat and began the run home.

Tanya and Irina got bored with the game and gave themselves up when Bella walked beneath their hiding spot, a ledge thirty feet up the side of a ridge. Throwing a few taunts and teases at their cousin about what 'Eddie and Katie could be doing' they too headed for home.

Bella completely missed Carlisle's scent as she flew along a path that led back towards town. Chuckling to himself he convinced Esme to go home even though Bella had no clue that she'd uncovered their hiding space amongst two fallen logs that had created a sort of natural tent.

After another hour and a half of frantic searching Bella howled into the air in frustration and threw her hands up in defeat. She'd just decided to head home and admit she couldn't find them, allowing someone to call Kate's cell and bring them back to the house the easy way, when she heard a muffled grunt to her left.

All thought for giving up the hunt fled Bella's brain as she heard it again. A little louder this time she recognised it for what it was. It was Edward and he was struggling with something or someone. She took off through the thick trees and followed the direction of his grunting. Three minutes later she came upon a little clearing. It was ringed by trees and was covered in wildflowers knee deep. Right there in the centre of it was a sight Bella would never forget.

Kate, on her knees, head thrown back, her blouse open and her bra covered breasts holding firm as she writhed. There was no sign of Edward because the flowers were too tall, but Bella could just imagine where he was. He was underneath Kate and he was either thrashing about in the throes of passion or he was being murdered and wasn't happy about it.

About to flee in disgust Bella heard something that pleased her far more than anything ever had before.

"Get off me you horrible cow," Edward barked as Kate flew through the air and came to an abrupt halt on her ass eight feet away from where she'd begun. Coming to his feet he tugged his now ruined Ralph Lauren button down together across his chest and ran a hand through his hair. "What is wrong with you?" he hissed at an amused Kate who got to her feet too.

"Oh darling," she giggled as she rebuttoned her shirt, "I'm a sure thing, there's no need to pretend to struggle."

Bella, working hard to be amused rather than possessive laughed loudly. Edward turned and saw her standing there and the look of horror on his face made Bella laugh even harder. "Found you," she choked before turning tail and heading back towards the house.

Kate, calling for Edward to wait for her, only saw the barest glimpse of his retreating back as he tore off after Bella.

Calling her name over and over Edward ran like he'd never run before. He was quick usually, but now, in his haste to make sure Bella didn't get the wrong idea about what she'd seen, he positively carved a trench across the ground as he made to catch her. "Wait!" he bellowed as he spotted her ahead. "Wait!" he shouted again as he drew alongside her. But she wasn't going to wait so Edward took his chance where he saw it and as Bella sidestepped a fallen log he tackled her to the ground. He gripped her around the waist and held her hard up against his chest as they hit the forest floor. Remembering the swift kick to his testicles the first time he'd tackled her he rolled to his side, holding her firmly, and held her down using the length of his body after he managed to get her onto her back. Looking down at her snarling face he dragged in a great lungful of her scent. "It's not what you think," he told her firmly.

Bella had no thought to kick him where he was proudest this time. This time she relished the feel of his body against hers. She'd craved his touch for more than a week and now that she had it she wasn't giving it up so quickly. She wanted to be held down by him. She wanted him to touch her, hold her and she wanted him to think she thought the worst. All reason and logic had flown out the window as he'd pursued her. She was pure vampire as he chased and she was still pure vampire as he brought her to the ground. He was her mate and this was what mates did. They sought, they pursued, and they tackled you to the ground and _made_ you understand things. For the first time in either her human life or her vampire one Bella welcomed her mate's body onto hers. "What do you think I saw?" she laughed hesitantly, knowing he wasn't going to want to spell it out, such was his innocence.

"You didn't just see me having _sex_ with your cousin," he barked.

He actually flinched at the word sex and that made Bella giggle harder. "I didn't?" she teased. "Because that's what it looked like from where I was standing."

"No!" he shouted far too loudly. "I wouldn't do that, she's awful," he said with a pained expression on his face.

"She obviously likes you," Bella hedged. "You can, you know. Have sex with her I mean. There's nothing wrong with that. We're sexual beings," she laughed, not completely convincingly. As the words slipped out of her mouth her stomach began to clench. She had to be careful here, she thought. Driving him away because of her fear was fine but driving him into the arms of another was wholly unacceptable.

But Edward was shaking his head before she'd even finished getting the words out. "No," he said belligerently. "I don't want to have sex with _her_."

Relief flooded Bella's system. He didn't want Kate. She was about to insist he let her up but Edward had other ideas.

Shifting the position of his hands he drew Bella's face between his palms and stared down at her for half a second before deciding to take the chance he'd been presented with. Lowering his mouth to hers he closed his eyes and prepared himself for his very first kiss.

Her lips were soft, like plush ruby velvet, and she didn't fight him. That shocked him. He had been sure she would. He had been almost convinced that he'd get nowhere near her lips and that her knee would connect with Dick and the twins as he tried. But it didn't and she didn't. Instead she moaned softly and tilted her chin to meet his lips with hers. Edward groaned as well, a deeply satisfying groan it was too.

But of course Edward had no idea what he was doing. He knew he wanted to kiss her, really kiss her, but the mechanics of that wasn't something he could research or study. Google had had no advice to offer. So he simply rested his lips against hers.

Bella did know what she was doing, so she began to drive the train for them both. Winding her fingers into his hair she tilted his head to one side and swiped at his lips with her tongue. Hoping he'd gasp, which he did, she used the split second that his lips were slightly parted to slip her tongue into his mouth.

His venom was everything she'd expected it to be. Sweet and spicy and completely addictive. His inexperience wasn't the turn off she'd thought it was going to be. She found herself enjoying it; his hesitancy meant this was for her, solely for her. Loving the feel of his body on hers she pushed her hips upward and into what could only be described as a marble monument to his masculinity. Groaning into his mouth Bella pulled him harder onto her lips. Delving her tongue deeper into his mouth Edward began to rock himself against her deliciously.

She found his lips soft and tantalising. His hair had fallen across her brow and it smelled of his scent and his shampoo. His body was lean and he was hungry, not thirsty, but hungry. It took but a few seconds for him to find his rhythm and once he had there was no stopping him.

Grinding himself against her, Bella lifting her hips to meet each push, they moaned and groaned into one another's mouths at the friction.

He plunged his tongue into her mouth over and over. He raked his tongue across her upper lip and then sucked her lower one into his mouth. He licked and sucked and turned Bella into a molten pool of desire despite his initial hesitancy.

"Well, what have we got here then?" Kate chortled as she came across the writhing pair on the ground.

Edward shot upwards and off Bella instantly. The loud thwack as their lips broke contact echoed around the trees. He turned his back to both women in an effort to hide his erection. Bella knew it was there, of course, and Kate could guess.

Bella, for her part, lay exactly where she was a moment longer. There was no need to spring to her feet in an effort to hide what Kate had found them doing because Bella wasn't ashamed, and she was surprised to find that she was pleased Kate had found them in a compromising position. She leisurely got to her feet and patted the dust and leaves off her jeans. "I'm sure you've seen this before, Kate," Bella hissed. "But I'd be happy to draw you a map if you need one."

Kate simply laughed. "No map necessary," she winked at a cringing Edward. "Variety is, of course, the spice of life. Perhaps we should've invited Bella along instead of making her 'it'," she snickered. Edward groaned in disgust and Bella threw her cousin a scowl that made the horrible woman shiver. "I'll see you both back at the house," she announced and with that she flounced off down the path.

"That woman," Edward sighed as he did his best to re-cover his chest with the remains of his shirt.

"You have to spell everything out to them," Bella advised as she pulled some leaves from the back of her hair. "They don't understand no."

"It's a simple enough fucking concept," Edward hissed, making Bella stare at him. "What? I'm not allowed to swear?" he laughed.

Laughing herself Bella shook her head and continued to wipe down her jeans. "You go right ahead, couldn't have said it better myself." A strange thought entered her head as she stared at him. She'd told him no and he'd backed off. He'd never asked again. He'd given her exactly what she'd wanted, when she'd wanted it. "I told you no," she whispered, the mood suddenly shifting.

Yes, you did Edward wanted to say but didn't. Looking her in the eye he steeled himself for another crushing blow. "And now," he asked hesitantly, "Are you going to continue to tell me no?"

Cocking her head to one side Bella thought on it a second. Would she tell him no now? _Could_ she tell him no? Having had a little taste was she willing to keep her distance from him? There was no denying the truth anymore. He was her mate. He had been since day one and no fighting it was going to change that. She hadn't been fishing but she'd been caught. The idea of another woman touching him made her feel ill. Anyone even looking at him would probably set her phasers to kill rather than stun.

Bella turned her back and headed for home. Edward watched her leave with despair. By saying nothing at all she was telling him no, again. So it caught him by surprise when she looked over her shoulder at him and held out her hand, "You coming?" she asked.

Not needing any further instruction he flew to where she was and slid his hand into hers. The sting was still there as their flesh met and both smiled as they felt the flash of it up their arms.

"Are you saying yes?" Edward asked cautiously after they'd walked halfway home in silence.

"I'm not saying no," Bella replied just as cautiously. "I've never had a..." she trailed off, unable to find a word to describe what Edward was to her.

"Me either," Edward replied without needing her to elaborate. "I've never had a girlfriend."

They were going to be so much more than boyfriend and girlfriend but saying the word mate out loud was too scary for Bella to contemplate just yet. Plus, she'd bet Edward had no idea what a mate was yet. They walked for a little further before Bella spoke again. "I've had boyfriends before," she whispered. "When I was human I dated a bit. But I've never been with anyone since my change."

"Been with anyone? What does that mean?" Edward asked while he had the chance. This was the most she'd spoken to him in weeks and he wanted to talk while he could make her listen.

Sighing nervously Bella squeezed his hand a little before she answered. "I haven't had sex with anyone since I became a vampire," she told him honestly. And she hadn't. She'd never felt like she wanted to, until Eddie Masen had stumbled into her life that is.

"Are we talking about only sex?" Edward asked, still unable to say the 's' word without embarrassment.

Bella let the question stay out there in the space between them for a little while as they walked. She knew she wanted to sleep with him. Well, not so much sleep as in wreck a bed or two. Actually it was more likely that they'd destroy an entire room or two. She knew that, she'd known that for weeks. But was it just about sex? At first she thought it might be. Her body's reaction to him had been violent but her head and heart had taken a little longer to get with the program. She'd wondered if she just bedded him would her craving for him dissipate. She didn't think it would now. In fact after having the taste of his venom on her tongue she knew it wouldn't. He was her mate. His wellbeing was linked to hers. His happiness was tied to hers too. His scent was in her head and now it was on her skin. Living without it was impossible and she didn't really want to try to anymore. As frightening as that was it was the truth. Bella had found her mate and he was right there for the taking should she wish to take the chance.

"No," she replied just as Edward began to worry about what her answer was going to be. "We aren't just talking about sex."

Smiling to himself Edward squeezed her hand lightly and stayed silent. He didn't want to talk about sex, but he knew that if she offered only sex he wouldn't turn her down. The consequences of that would be far reaching, and having no other form of relationship with her other than a physical one wasn't what he wanted, nor what he thought he could tolerate long term. But Edward was all in. He wanted what the others had. He wanted a friend, a confidante, someone to spend the long nights with and someone to have fun with. He wanted sex but he wanted love more. Knowing she didn't just want sex from him was a start, a good start.

"Will the family be cross with us?" he asked hesitantly. It was something he'd worried about since becoming a Cullen. He'd wanted Bella ever since his libido had woken up at the beach and he'd been worrying about what the family would think about that should it ever come to pass.

"Why would they be?" Bella asked, truly confused.

"I don't know them well enough to answer that, but then they don't know me either. They might not think I'm good enough for you. Won't they think it's weird, us being a pair, after such a short time?" he asked.

Still not wanting to utter the word mate Bella tried a different approach to ease his worry. "They'll understand," she said simply. "They're all paired up. This won't bother anyone. If we were to try, that is?" she added as an afterthought. After all, it wasn't set in stone that mates were perfect for each other. Not as far as she knew anyway.

But of course it was set in stone. Mates weren't mates unless they were perfect for one another. That didn't mean they wouldn't fight, because mates did. They still had free will; nothing could take someone's free will away. Other than a lobotomy, and there had been some conjecture as to whether or not Emmett had survived one before his change. Mates personalities often complimented rather than mirrored. One mate could be quite strong mentally, the other rather fragile. Where one was timid another could be gregarious. And sometimes like minds really did meet.

There were no hard and fast rules about who would be a perfect mate for another, but once the brain had decided there could be no mistake. There was no chance to it and no second chances given. A mate was a mate for life.

Ignoring the first part of her statement Edward clung to the last. "So you want to try?" Edward asked, unable to hide his grin.

"We can try," Bella agreed, grinning herself. "But we'll have to set some rules. I'm not going to turn into some floral frock wearing housefrau who waits patiently for her hubby to come home and pay her some attention," she sneered frostily.

Dropping her hand Edward bent double and put his palms to his knees and howled like an idiot. His laughter was so loud he shook birds out of their perches for miles around. The image she'd just painted cracked him up so much he had to hold his stomach for the laughter it induced. "You," he crowed, pointing at her stricken face. "You, a housefrau?" he laughed. "Never..." he trailed off and continued laughing.

"Yuck it up," Bella muttered darkly. "But I'm telling you, I'm not cut out for being a good little wife who keeps house."

Jogging to catch up to where she'd stalked off to Edward tugged on her elbow until she'd stopped and turned. Taking her cheeks between his huge palms he kissed her softly on the lips. It felt so normal. So comfortable. As though he'd been designed specifically to kiss this woman. Breaking the gentle kiss he rested his forehead on hers. "Isabella, you've got us married and playing house before we've even been on a date," he laughed. "You've said you'll try and sure, I'll agree to some rules, but how about we just get to know one another properly and let the rest happen on its own?"

"I've never done this," Bella told him again, just to make sure he understood.

"I haven't either, so we'll learn together," he told her, having heard her perfectly the first time. "But if we're going to try I need you to promise me something before we go back to the house."

"Name it," Bella said far more confidently than she felt. If he asked her to change something about herself he was gonna be seriously disappointed.

"Don't hide from me anymore. I don't like it," Edward told her, quite reasonably he thought.

"I didn't want to," Bella admitted. "You scare me," she whispered so softly had Edward not had his forehead still pressed to hers he'd have missed it.

"You scare me too," he told her just as quietly. "Everything scares me."

Widening her eyes Bella wondered how true that was. He seemed so confident now. So aware of himself and others and she wondered if he was being honest. "You're doing fantastically," she told him.

Smiling, genuinely happy for what he thought could quite possibly be the first ever time Edward kissed her once more softly on her lips then drew her hand into his. "Let's go home and clean up," he said as he tugged her along until they were both jogging.

The rest of the run was quiet. Neither of them needed to fill the silence with unnecessary words, they had always been quite content with silence. And this was a much easier silence than those they'd had before. They were going to try. They were going to go home, clean up and try to date one another. It seemed simple.

As they burst through the trees in the back of the yard Bella balked, a sudden thought springing to her mind. Edward, not realising she was going to stop altogether, continued on ahead and almost had his arm ripped from its socket when Bella pulled up so suddenly. "The cousins don't take no for an answer," she whispered to a puzzled Edward.

"What's that?" he asked, confused.

"The cousins," Bella hissed, nodding towards the house. "They don't take no for an answer, ever. They'll keep going until you either give in or smack them around."

Grinning from ear to ear about how ridiculous that statement was Edward tugged her hand to get her to follow. "That's silly," he told a scoffing Bella. "They're ladies, once they know we're dating they'll back off. Trust me," he grinned as they reached the distance from which they could be heard. Stopping to kiss her lightly on her cheek he bounded up the back steps and went on in to the house quite confident that he could handle the cousins now that he had Bella at his side.

"Poor, naive idiot," Bella muttered as she walked towards the house.

* * *

**A/N: I do believe this makes it 'game on, bitch'...lol**

**Thank you for reading, **

**Please review. **


	17. Chapter 17

_Holding his cards close to his chest Edward tried to remember the rules of the game. He was supposed to collect the high cards and discard the low ones. _

"_It's your move, bro," Emmett said helpfully. _

_Edward didn't care for card games but Emmett had seemed so enthusiastic about teaching him this one that he couldn't refuse. Throwing out the seven of diamonds Edward sat back in his seat and grinned. _

_Emmett snatched the card so fast he moved at a blur, then triumphantly set his entire hand down onto the tabletop. "I win!" he crowed. _

_Edward stared at the cards and tried to work out how a four, his seven and two ones meant Emmett won and couldn't. "How can you win with all low cards if the aim of the game is to collect high ones?" Edward asked, confused. _

_Leaning across the table and grinning like a madman Emmett chuckled, "It's called Bluffing for a reason," he laughed. "I only asked you to play so Jaz could get his hands on your laptop, bro." _

_Wide eyed Edward ranged his hearing out and sure enough, up high in the house, he could hear someone coming out of his room. "You bastards," Edward hissed and took off up the stairs. He met Jasper on the second floor landing but he was too quick for him and Jasper managed to duck into his own suite before Edward could neck him. _

_Flying up the stairs to the third floor Edward flung his bedroom door open and ran to his laptop. It looked normal but he could smell Jasper's stink all over the place near his desk. Checking the chair hadn't been booby-trapped – it hadn't – Edward sat on it and opened his computer. The splash screen was the same and his log in password worked first time. He checked his files for the store and they seemed intact. He opened his browser and saw there was nothing untoward there, and nothing had been moved or any of the icons missing. What the hell were they up to he thought as he opened his email? _

"_Jesus Christ!" he yelled so loud Esme tutted and somebody dropped something to the floor in the living room. "You bastards!" he yelled again as hundreds of emails began downloading to his account. _

_Each and every one of them was a subscription to a different internet porn site and each and every email opened, without needing to be clicked on, and began playing their imbedded videos. The moaning and groaning, the screaming and swearing began to all roll together as each video began again after finishing its loop. Clicking desperately about the page Edward was unable to either delete them or stop the videos playing. _

_And then the animal porn began to download. _

_And then the guys in gimp suits appeared. _

"_Motherfuckers," Edward hissed as he shut his laptop to make the awful din go away. "Make it stop!" he bellowed as Jasper and Emmett laughed louder. _

"_I'll turn it off once you've tried at least one of the positions," Jasper guffawed from the living room. _

_Tucking the laptop under his arm Edward strode from his room and went directly into Bella's. He didn't shut the door behind him so everything that was said in the room would be heard by every other occupant of the house. _

_She was giggling hysterically but Edward ignored that. He threw the computer down onto her bed and opened it. He clicked onto the first video and let it run for a few seconds. Bella wiggled her way down the bed and rolled onto her belly so she could see what was playing. It was a woman on all fours, her ass in the air, with a man behind her. They were quite obviously having a hell of a time if her screaming and moaning was anything to go by. _

"_Looks like fun," Bella laughed at a scowling Edward. _

"_I'm glad you think so," he hissed as he tore off his shirt. _

_Bella wasn't laughing any longer. Instead she was gaping at Edward. There was no way she was going to let him do her like that with the door open and everyone in the house just waiting to hear. "You can't be serious?" she all but choked as she rolled over and sprang to her feet beside the bed. _

_Edward unbuckled his belt and threw it to the floor with his shirt. He undid his zipper. He advanced on her and towered over her, venom flying from his lips. "I smelled your scent in my room Isabella, so I know you were privy to what Jasper did. You heard him; he'll turn it off only after I've tried one of the positions. Best you get on your knees." _

_Backing away, hands in the surrender position, Bella began to worry. She couldn't tell whether he was angry or turned on. They were pretty similar states of mind for the newborn Edward. "No," she whispered as she came into contact with the wall by her bed head. _

"_No?" he asked as menacingly as he could. Yanking the two halves of his fly apart he let his jeans fall down his thighs. He wasn't wearing any underwear. He was rock hard too. Painfully hard. "Give me your hand," he demanded loudly. Bella licked her lips and did as she was asked. Edward gave her fingers a light squeeze and then slid her hand, palm up, under his balls. "Grip them," he told her and she once again did as instructed. Taking his laptop off the bed he held it aloft and took a picture of Bella's hand cupping his balls. "Thank you," he told her with a wink. _

_Leaving her standing there gaping he put the laptop down, pulled his pants up, redid his fly, retrieved the laptop and left the room. He ran down to the first floor and knocked rather politely on Jasper's door. When it opened Edward turned his laptop around and showed his shocked brother the picture he'd just taken. _

"_That, brother, is called bluffing. I do believe I win. A pair of balls beats everything!"_

* * *

It was obvious that Kate had told anyone who'd listen what she'd seen in the forest because as Edward entered the house all conversation halted.

Wishing he'd waited for Bella so they could come indoors together Edward threw everyone a quick smile then fled up the stairs. He stood, back to his door, and panted for a solid minute before allowing himself the joy of smiling.

He'd kissed her! Really kissed her!

And she'd kissed him back!

And she'd said she'd try!

When he smelled Bella approach the landing he opened his door and stepped out, grinning inanely. "Hi," he said, suddenly nervous.

"Oh no you don't," Bella laughed as she came towards him. Using his own moves she backed him up until his butt hit the door jamb and then she stood on her toes and put her mouth to his ear. "There isn't going to be any shy 'hi how are ya's' now Edward. We're passed that," she moaned, letting the scent of her venom flood out of her mouth. She waited until he drew it in through his nose then flicked her tongue up the shell of his ear. "We'll set more rules once the vipers have gone home but we can set this one right here, right now. If we meet on this landing you kiss me. End. Of. Story," she said fiercely and then stood back onto her flat feet.

Edward's eyes were bugging out of his head. Was she serious? He hoped she was because he didn't relish the idea of another blow to his nads. When she licked her lips and put her hand to her hip impatiently Edward's brain kicked into gear. Pushing away from the wall he advanced on her, marching her - without touching her - until it was her ass against the wall. He knew how to do this now. She'd taught him what to do and he was always a quick study. Leaning over her, his hands flat against the wall on either side of her head, he grinned down at her. "I like this rule already," he hissed before lowering his lips to hers.

He was a fast learner Bella thought as he ran his tongue across her lips and demanded entry. She gave it to him willingly. Their tongues met across their joined lips and both moaned softly at the contact and at the taste.

"Get a room," someone yelled from a floor below and Edward immediately withdrew. Bella looked up at him through her lashes and smiled.

Grabbing her hand Edward ran his thumb across hers. "Goodnight Isabella," he whispered.

Getting up onto her toes once again Bella kissed him softly on the cheek. "Goodnight Edward," she whispered and then went into her room.

Edward showered – relieving the pressure in his balls with not a little urgency – and retired to his 'scratching's' happier than he'd ever been.

Bella shampooed the leaves and dirt out of her hair then relieved her own tensions before retiring to her chick lit novel happier than she'd ever been.

The four feet of the landing didn't seem quite so far to either of them that night. Even the muffled sounds of the Cullen pairs indulging their passions didn't seem quite so invasive or irritating to the pair way up on the third floor.

Relative peace reigned in the house for a full eight hours after that.

It was the next morning when things got ever so slightly off course once again.

Their meeting on the landing was sweet and hurried and rather pg. They went down to the gathering in the kitchen smiling, but it wasn't to last.

As Bella had expected, and had tried to warn Edward about, the cousins had no intention of giving up their quarry so easily. Kate's rendition of what she'd seen had been recounted as far more blue than it really had been, and that had sparked a little war between the three highly competitive sisters.

They'd assumed that Edward was a meek, mild mannered virgin who was ripe for the picking. His inexperience had been evident and his fear of the three women had only heightened their need to 'blood' him sexually. But Kate had portrayed him as something quite different after returning from the game. She espoused his oral talents and even though she'd seen nothing of the sort she told her sisters that his roaming hands had seemed quite adept as he lay on top of their mousy cousin.

And so a wager had been set down. The first to bed him got a month off work and first dibs on the labourer who was doing the renovations at their business. It was a fine prize. All three sisters relished the thought of a month holed up in some isolated cabin with nothing to do other than the help.

Good mornings were exchanged as usual as Edward and Bella came into the kitchen but the similarities to the regular routine ended there.

Tanya all but shoved Bella away from the stool next to Edward and had her ass parked in it before Bella could protest. Kate, inwardly seething at her sister for seeing an opening where she had not wasn't to be outdone. She sidled up to Edward and stood at his hip. Irina, watching from behind the kitchen island counter made no move other than to lick her lips and undo a third button on her blouse.

Every Cullen noticed but nobody said a word. Bella, doing her best to ignore the sisters and be a humble winner, moved away and went to stand by Alice. Edward sat in his seat, hands in his lap with his eyes cast down to the countertop. He was too afraid to meet anyone's eyes.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Emmett broke the silence once everyone was assembled. "It's Saturday so no school or college for anyone, so what's the game plan?" he asked excitedly.

Bella scowled at him and Edward did his best to hide his sigh. The family must know by now that he and Bella had come to some arrangement but they seemed unwilling to help keep the cousins under control. Bella had been right. The sisters weren't going to let up. And judging by Tanya's snaking fingers up his thigh nothing Kate had relayed to them had changed a thing. Shoving her hand away as stealthily and as politely as possible he shuffled his stool further under the counter hoping to decrease the amount of space she'd have to work with. Ten seconds later he felt her fingers digging into his pocket. Batting at her hand Edward did his best to stay aware of the conversation.

"We get to play so rarely," Irina purred, startling Edward and making Bella cringe. "Katie got to pick hide and seek so it's my turn to choose today. I say we swim."

Everyone thought that was a great idea, except for Bella and Edward. Bella had seen the sisters in action before and she knew quite well that something as innocent as a swim could very quickly turn into an orgy if they were given their head and there were willing participants. Even humans were fair game to the girls and Bella had seen them corral groups of men and boys at the beach before.

Edward had no such experience with the sisters but anything that made Bella scowl the way she was wasn't going to be fun for Edward. While the group spoke about when and where Edward kept his eyes on Bella. She nodded when required but added nothing of her own to the planning.

"We'll meet back here in ten minutes," Tanya called excitedly as she fled towards the guest rooms at the back of the ground floor. Her sisters followed swiftly behind and as all the other Cullen's split up to go and change and collect the necessities it became just Bella and Edward alone in the kitchen.

Coming around the island to where Edward sat uneasily on the edge of his stool Bella took his hand into hers. "Don't worry," she whispered. "If there are humans there we'll just run right on by and find an empty space of our own to swim. Alright?"

"Could we be so lucky?" Edward sighed.

"Probably not," Bella laughed. "The weathers awful so I doubt there'll be too many people there. But even if there aren't you don't need to actually swim if you don't want to."

"I like to swim," Edward smiled up at her as he turned her hand over and lowered his lips to it. He kissed it softly and loved the way she sighed. "I'd like to swim with you again but what are the odds that the sisters will leave me be?"

"Not great," Bella admitted. "Come on, they'll all be back in a minute. Best you go and find some shorts."

Right on the dot of ten minutes everyone was once again gathered around the kitchen island. Bella had a backpack slung over one shoulder and in it she had hers and Edward's towels and a change of clothes each. Each of the three pairs of Cullen's had various bags but the three sisters had only one tiny bag between the three of them. Edward took no notice but Bella did. They were either already wearing their swimming things or they were planning not to bother. Nudity wasn't exactly a problem, they'd all been seen naked by one another at certain points, but Edward was going to freak if they stripped off in front of him.

There was no time to warn him, however, because the decision to run rather than drive to the beach had been made without consultation by Irina, who had nominated today's activity.

"Let's run as a group," Kate suggested coyly, her eyes on Edward. "We wouldn't want anyone to get lost."

Allowing the others to go ahead through the door Bella tugged Edward's sleeve and pulled him downward so she could whisper into his ear. "Stay close to me," she told him and after he'd nodded they too went out to join the group in the yard. They set off at a good clip, though nowhere near top speed. Conversation flowed amongst the group freely as they ran. Alice pointed out where she and Jasper had hidden during hide and seek the day before and Emmett proudly pointed to the spot where he'd bagged a bobcat just a week ago. Edward and Bella remained quiet, each of them concentrating hard on the connection their clasped hands made. It felt good to run together. It felt amazing to know that the juncture of their hands was for pleasure, not for measure, and it felt good for both of them to be part of a pair inside the larger group.

It became obvious where Irina had chosen to swim because they were heading towards Strawberry Bay. Whether it was coincidence or a tactical manoeuvre Bella didn't know, but the thought of swimming with Edward there again gave her butterflies in her stomach. She didn't want to share the place with anyone, though with the family alone it would've been tolerable, but with the gargoyles in tow it could quite possibly taint what was a very private memory.

Edward too recognised the direction they were heading and he too had mixed feelings about swimming there again. On the one hand he knew his way and if anything untoward occurred he could simply head home without issue. On the other hand if anything untoward did occur it was likely to ruin his memory of his first visit there with Bella. Relishing the idea of swimming with her again now they'd decided to try overrode his misgivings.

Every now and then Bella would feel Edward squeeze a little harder on her hand and she knew it was because he wanted to increase their pace. He loved to run, just as she did, but he was much faster and the slower pace was frustrating for him. Squeezing back as they came to the highway Bella mouthed 'run' to him and once they'd crossed the road they took off at full pelt towards the sea.

The group shouted and called them both back but they ignored the call and ran towards the same track they'd used that first visit. Giving Edward his head after a good sniff to make sure there wasn't anyone he was likely to cross paths with, Bella dropped his hand as they came to the beginning of the ascent to the sea. "Go," she giggled as he looked over his shoulder at her. "Go, its okay," she told him when he balked.

He didn't hesitate after her assurance, he simply took off. Bella had no hope of catching him as he tore off towards the water. The steep decline of the land would give him more momentum and his natural running ability was something she would never likely be able to match. So she let him go ahead and enjoy his burst of speed.

She jogged along smiling to herself at the thought of him running for pleasure. She did it often and was looking forward to them both going out late at night together now. So much had changed in such a little time she thought as she finally came out of the trees to step onto the sand of the little bay.

Edward was right at the shore, standing with his bare feet in the water, hands in his pockets, staring out to sea. Dropping the backpack where he'd left his shoes Bella made her way to him and slid her hand to his lower back. "Gorgeous, isn't it?" she asked quietly.

"Quite," he sighed.

"Probably a good idea to get changed before everyone else arrives and decides they want to play Marco Polo," Bella laughed as they headed back toward the backpack.

They were both nervous, probably more so than they'd been that first time, but the process of changing their clothing in front of one another was familiar, even though their situation had changed. Bella peeled her jeans off her legs just as she had done the first time only now she was wearing bikini bottoms instead of panties. Edward didn't need to sit on the sand and shuck his pants this time because he was wearing board shorts under his trousers. Chuckling along with Bella once she noticed he drew his shirt over his head at the same time she did. Her bikini top was modest and plain black to match the bottoms but to Edward's new libido it was obscene. Blinking rapidly he closed his eyes as she threw her shirt down with her jeans and skipped off toward the water. Shaking his head in a useless attempt to clear it Edward eventually managed to drop his glasses at his feet and then he too took off toward the water. He reached it just as the first sounds of the group arriving floated across the flat expanse of sand and he was grateful that they'd run ahead. Even if he only had five minutes in the water without the family it would be enough.

Diving under the first of the waves Edward concentrated on what Bella had taught him. Clamping his lips shut and ignoring his brains warning that he needed to breathe he swam through the wash of the first wave, stayed under as the next broke on the surface, then broke through behind it.

Not seeing Bella anywhere he plunged beneath another wave and searched for a visual of those legs that had tormented his brain for weeks. Edward felt the rush of his strength and a surge of happiness as he swam. Locating Bella as he broke through the surface he swam towards her.

She was treading water and smiling widely. "Good?" she asked.

"Brilliant," he replied as he moved towards her. He had his hands out in front of himself, ready to clasp either her hand or her waist, but her smile fell from her lips before he could touch her.

"Don't," she whispered.

"Okay," he whispered in reply, confused and disappointed. "Can I ask why not?"

Bella had thought about it as they'd run. If they flirted with one another and touched and showed affection the family would start with the taunting and the cousins would see their fledgling relationship for what it was, fragile. That would just spark their natural competitive natures and it would end in tears. Probably Bella's.

What she didn't know was that the sisters knew the relationship was new and fragile because they'd never seen Bella interested in anyone before, and more obviously Edward himself was new and fragile. The bet had been made and the tarts had no intention of losing either to one of their own sisters or to Bella, whom they all saw as a mere irritation in the 'get into Edward's pants' game.

Had Bella simply told the sisters that he was her mate the game would be over and the sisters would retreat, respectfully. Vampire mates were off limits to everyone and the sisters might be nymphomanias with the morals of a Queen Bee, but the unwritten laws about mates were sacrosanct, even to them. But Bella didn't tell the sisters he was her mate because she hadn't told Edward and she hadn't said it out loud to herself yet either. She knew it to be true, but knowing it and saying it were two different kettles of fish. And so Bella made another wrong turn decision wise.

"It's not personal," she began as quietly as she could. She doubted they'd be overheard so far out behind the breakers, but if there was gossip to be had the family would do their utmost to try and hear it. "The Denali's already see you as prey, someone to be conquered, right?" she asked a nodding, cringing Edward. "So if I show publicly that I'm interested in you that'll just add to the appeal. They love the chase, Edward. They love it when someone seems unwilling, or plays hard to get. You saw that for yourself yesterday with Kate. The bigger the challenge the bigger the triumph."

"Okay," Edward muttered. He didn't get it. She was still running hot and cold. He got that she knew the sisters better than he did, but the idea that _not_ declaring that they were in a relationship would make the situation better was beyond his realm of understanding.

"Look," Bella huffed seeing his confusion. "I don't want the three ugly sisters to try and drive us apart, alright? This is new and I don't want to fuck this up. If we tell them, or show them, that we're together they'll do everything they can to kill it."

That made a little more sense to Edward so he reluctantly agreed. The swim suddenly didn't seem to be quite as much fun as it had as they'd run toward the beach. "Okay," he said eventually. "You know them better than me," he said when in reality he meant that Bella knew about relationships better than he did. He had nothing to go on. No point of reference. No experience and his eagerness to 'begin' was probably overriding his judgement, so he went along with Bella's plan in lieu of one of his own.

Smiling a little Bella nodded. "I do know them. I've seen them work before. Just ride it out for a couple of days and they'll go home."

"Eddie, Eddie," a female voice began calling from the shore. Edward didn't care which of the triad of tramps it was calling him, so he ignored the call. "Eddie, Eddie," the voice rang out again, but Edward was busy looking for signs of Bella who'd disappeared beneath the water.

When a male voice called his name he turned but wished he hadn't. Sashaying towards the water was an unholy trinity of she-devils and they were hardly dressed at all! "Good Christ," he muttered darkly and dove under the water himself.

Tanya had gone with a less is more approach and had worn what was little more than two shoelaces tied at her hips and another stretched across her nipples. Kate had chosen a slightly wider shoelace with strategically placed spangles. Irina wore the most modest outfit of the three in terms of the square footage of material used to create it, though it could hardly be called an outfit at all. A bandeau across her breasts was completely one hundred percent mesh and exposed the entirety of each breast despite them being encased in fabric. The bottoms had a modesty panel over the crotch but the retinal damage was inflicted by a quick glance at the top, so the pants were old hat by the time anybody cared to look.

Realising they'd just follow if he tried to outswim them he slowly made his way back closer to shore. He used the time to get straight in his head how he was going to turn them down, again. He'd be firm. Honest but firm. He wasn't interested in them, any of them, and he just needed to make that clear and they'd leave him alone. He wouldn't say anything about being 'involved' with Bella because she'd told him they'd just see that as a bigger challenge. So he'd just say no, outright. No reason given no negotiation. Simple.

Of course that was never going to work, but he didn't know that. Bella had been right. The more Edward resisted the more of a challenge the sisters saw him.

When the whole group was in the water and they'd all had a chance to stretch their limbs with a good sprint – except Bella who'd taken off toward one of the little sand islands at the tip of the bay – everyone stood in the shallows talking and laughing.

With Tanya beside him, almost shoulder to shoulder as he'd been with Bella weeks ago, and Kate in front of him taking every opportunity to allow the small waves to push her into his side, Edward got increasingly uncomfortable.

Irina, thankfully, had hung back and was busy chatting away with an animated Alice.

"We should race," Tanya suggested smugly. Edward flicked his gaze to where he could just see Bella, reclining regally on the little sand island. Following his gaze Tanya grinned. "First one to that island wins, anyone game?"

Shit, thought Edward. The evil bitch had seen him look, Bella was going to go ape.

"I'm in, what do I win if I get there first?" Kate giggled startling Edward from his musings.

"Hmmm," Tanya simpered. "What about we let Eddie decide what the prize should be?"

You three fucking off home would be grand Edward thought darkly. "Can't we just race for the hell of it?" he said instead.

"How about winner chooses the prize?" Rose piped up.

"Oh, excellent," Irina trilled as she turned her back to the group and got herself set to go.

Counting down to the set off Emmett stepped from foot to foot in eagerness. Jasper, just as eager, chuckled to himself at the look on Edward's face. The poor guy was in a hell of his own making. One of them needed to declare themselves as mated or the sisters were going to cause more trouble than was necessary he thought, as Emmett announced 'one' and everyone in the group dived under the water and came up stroking as fast as they could.

Bella, having heard and seen the race being discussed and then begun, stood on the sand and mentally egged Edward on. Come on, come on she shouted in her head. If one of the sisters won they'd choose something filthy and horrid and she knew without being told that it would involve Edward.

Emmett was usually the fastest. On land he had been too before Edward came along, but in the water he was rarely beaten. He hadn't had a chance to test himself against Edward yet and Bella hoped that his newborn land speed would translate to the water and that Edward would win.

Emmett, thinking it would be fun to see what one of the sisters would claim as a prize, backed off. Still stroking strongly he toned his skill and speed down to about two thirds his usual pace.

Two hundred yards from the finish line Bella was livid. Seeing his stroke rate decrease she cursed her moronic brother. Fucking Emmett! Whatever game he was playing wasn't funny and she was going to pull his ears off and choke him with them when he got close enough to her.

Carlisle passed Emmett and was in the lead, just. He had only half a body length on both Edward and Irina and Bella was hopping from foot to foot with nerves as the group closed the gap.

Reaching out and grabbing Carlisle's ankle Rose effectively took her sire out of the race and watched, quite pleased with herself, as Irina put on another burst of speed and pulled away from Edward.

Stroking like a madman, thrashing the water to foam, Edward did his best. But it just wasn't enough. Irina swam like a fish and he wouldn't mind betting that both Tanya and Kate had known it. They'd set him up again.

Hoping, probably futilely, that she'd choose something innocuous as a prize Edward made his way onto the sand to face a mocking Irina. "Nice win," he congratulated properly.

Bella, hanging back but wishing she could ring her cousin's neck, waited until the rest of the group had fully invaded her little piece of solitude before moving to stand at the back of the crowd. Edward threw her an apologetic look but she smiled and shrugged. It wasn't his fault. Emmett had thrown the game. Edward hadn't had a chance. For some reason the others had made sure of it.

"Whatever will I choose as a prize," Irina said coyly after the others had given her her dues. Holding a red painted nail to her bottom lip she appeared to be thinking on it. She wasn't really, she knew what she wanted before she'd set out to win. She wanted Edward, beneath her preferably, while she rode him into his first taste of bliss. "I want a ride in Eddie's new car," she announced cheekily. "Tonight you will take me for a spin," she pointed to Edward who was cringing at the thought.

Immediately Edward began to doubt that she was the least offensive of the three women. And he was right. Irina wasn't quite as openly wanton as her sisters but what she lacked in forwardness she more than made up for in ingenuity.

"Oh that sounds like fun," Rose added, most unhelpfully Edward thought. "He's only driven it once and it needs the dust blown off its rings," she chuckled.

Jesus, thought Edward. Why did that sound filthy? Bella, huffing mutinously, slipped from the back of the group and slid back into the water. Fucking fantastic she thought as she stroked back towards the beach. Edward and Irina, alone, in his car.

"Fine," Edward sighed unhappily as he watched Bella swim away. "I'm heading home, I'm due online," he told the group before diving back into the water and swimming away.

He caught Bella easily and doing as Rose had done to Carlisle he gripped her ankle and made her stop abruptly. She knew he was behind her, she knew where he was at all times. Such was her connection to him she knew without seeing and felt without touching where he was. So she wasn't bothered by being stopped as she was. She simply came to a stop and surfaced to face him.

He looked scared and more than a little horrified at the turn of events. "I'm so sorry I lost," he said sheepishly.

Throwing him a bone, because she wasn't mad at him at all – her ire was wholly directed at the bitch triplets – Bella smiled and took his hand under the water. "You've nothing to be sorry for. The game was rigged," she laughed as pleasantly as she could even though on the inside she was seething at her family.

"It was?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

Laughing and squeezing his hand Bella nodded. "It was. I can't work out why because every one of them thinks the sisters are horrid, but yeah, it was rigged."

Sighing dejectedly Edward squeezed back. He'd always been good at pegging people and their motivations so he put his theory out there to see what she made of it. "Could it be," he began, tipping his head to one side, "that the others invited the sisters here for a reason?"

It made sense to Edward. It had only been a theory in the beginning, and it had been based on only one thing. Jasper continually asking him what was wrong on the hunt. All along he thought Jasper might have known what was going on between him and Bella. All along he'd gotten the vibe from the guy that he just wanted Edward to spill his guts, but Edward never had.

Could it be possible that the whole family had known the torment the pair were inflicting on one another? Surely Bella hiding away wasn't normal and surely they'd come to a conclusion as to why she was?

And if everyone knew what the sisters were like and what they'd likely do to Edward, could they possibly have invited them for a visit specifically to kick Bella into gear and make her make a move?

Bella thought on it a second before grimacing. "Motherfucker," she snarled in a whisper. "We've been played," she hissed.

Smiling, Edward thought so too. "Probably," he agreed. "But we shouldn't be angry about that because it worked, didn't it?"

Bella squeezed his hand and kicked her legs until she was right up against his chest. "It did," she agreed. "Take Irina for a drive tonight and dump her fucking body in a place that nobody will find it," she laughed before kissing him lightly on the lips and ducking back under the water.

It was Carlisle who pulled Edward aside and asked him to please stay for the afternoon instead of heading back to the house to 'work'. In essence he guilted him into staying. And like everyone else in the family when Carlisle asked you do something as a personal favour to him they did it.

Irina spent the whole afternoon crowing about her win and her prize. Tanya and Kate egged her on and looked quite pleased with themselves when Edward scowled or growled at one of their salacious comments. Other games were played. Marco Polo being one which of course was ridiculous because vampires had incredible hearing abilities and locations were easy to pinpoint. But they played anyway. Sand castles were erected, running races were held on the sand – though no prizes were handed out, thankfully – and a short game of 'let's see how far the boys can throw the girls' was had too.

That ended when Rose decided she didn't want to be thrown and threw Emmett instead. Emmett didn't want to be lumped in with the 'girls' and stormed off, ending the game. Edward, for one, and Bella for two, were glad when the day was over.

The touching during the game was fun, and both shot each other sly grins throughout the entire day, but the cloying nature of the three harridans was taking a toll on them both by the time the sun began to set.

Bella, more aggressive and possessive as the day wore on was seconds from instigating a massacre and Edward was fed up with being the butt of every joke, jibe and innuendo.

Even the other members of the Cullen family began to rethink the intelligence of having unleashed the cousins on the pair. They noticed Edward's uneasiness and saw for themselves just how hostile Bella was becoming.

Only Carlisle knew that the girls would be leaving at first light the following morning and he cursed not having told anyone else. He hoped there'd been no lasting damage done to the fledgling relationship between his daughter and new son. He hoped once they all got back to the house everyone could cool off.

Running home was the most enjoyable part of the whole trip as far as Edward was concerned. Emmett had volunteered to run on ahead to scout for any human activity and once he had been given the go ahead Edward took off. He made sure to tell Bella that it wasn't personal, that he wasn't running away from her, but she'd understood immediately without needing to be told.

She knew he would want to run, at full pelt, and that he'd hunt before returning to the house. His anger and frustration were so close to the surface of his patience Bella could smell it radiating from him as he'd spoken with her before taking off.

When the group came to the western edge of the forest – where they'd need to turn off to make the trek home – Jasper caught Bella up.

"You go on home, I'll go stand watch," he told her quietly.

"Have you been hunting with him?" she asked in barely a whisper waiting for the others to make the turn to go home, leaving her and Jasper alone at the fork in the path.

"Not exactly," her brother hedged.

"You don't have to tell me," she insisted, though she was desperate to know. "I just want to know that he's okay."

Smiling sweetly Jasper took his sister into his arms for the first time since Eddie Masen Junior had come into their lives. Kissing her on her cheek and then letting her go Jasper smiled again. "He's fine, doing well when he's not frustrated as hell over you," he winked. "Can I assume that you're together now or is that still none of my business?" he chuckled.

Biting her bottom lip Bella thought on it a second. "It's still none of your business but yes, I guess you could say we're together. But it's new and it's scary. But as far as those fucking molls are concerned we're married with two point four children and a mortgage," she giggled as Jasper hugged her tight again.

"Unless you know something I don't I don't think you're ever gonna have two point four kids and once he's got that store up and running the mortgage won't be a problem either," Jasper laughed as he stepped away and made ready to go into the forest after Edward. "He's fine, trust me, Sissy," he threw over his shoulder as he jogged away.

Bella, heading in the opposite direction smiled to herself and made for home. "Oh I know he's fine," she muttered. "Trouble is so do those bitches."

'Those bitches' were huddled together at the tree line at the back of Cullen land.

"If we're leaving in the morning we've only got tonight," Kate pouted, hand on hip.

"Well I've got him taking me for a drive," Irina smirked. "So if it's going to be any of us it'll be me."

"Maybe," Tanya agreed, squinting as though she was deep in thought. "But there's a whole lot of time between now and sun up. We have to keep 'Bella the Fair' away from him."

"Hmm," Kate mused. "Perhaps a bit of 'isolation from the herd' is in order, ladies?"

"Oh definitely," Tanya chuckled. "If this bitch doesn't win the bet on the drive," she nudged Irina who simply grinned smugly.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading. **

**Please review. **


	18. Chapter 18

"_Got a minute?" Emmett asked from the doorway of his brother's room. _

"_Sure, what's up?" Edward asked as he closed the lid of his laptop and swung around in his chair. _

_Emmett came inside and stood by the end of the bed. "Mind if I take a look in your bathroom?" he asked, nodding towards it. _

"_Sure," Edward replied. "Problem?"_

_Emmett said nothing as he moved into the other room. Edward heard his shower door open, a slight pause, then it closed again. Emmett came back into the bedroom and leaned against the door. _

_Edward eyed him warily. They were alone in the house. Carlisle was at work, all four women were away shopping and Jasper was away visiting with a vampire friend of his. Emmett was up to something. "Is there a problem with my shower?" he asked. _

"_Nope," Emmett chuckled. "Not a problem, yet."_

"_So I can go back to work then?" Edward asked, turning in his chair to face his desk once again. Opening his laptop he hit the switch to wake it from its hibernation, all the time steeling himself for whatever Emmett was about to say or do. He'd noticed the 'yet' at the end of his reply and he knew Emmett well enough by then to know that he'd not let whatever it was he wanted to say go._

_Sure enough Emmett shuffled his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I just thought I'd come and offer some brotherly advice," he chuckled. _

_Not taking his eyes off his spreadsheet Edward grinned to himself as he replied, "Oh yeah? Hit me, brother," he laughed. _

"_We're vampire's dude," Emmett said, stating the obvious. "Everything in us is made of venom, right?" he asked a totally confused but nodding Edward. "So..." Emmett trailed off until Edward swivelled in his chair to face him. "I just thought I'd let you know that venom will eat through the grouting in our showers and my suite is under yours," he said quite matter of factly even though he'd punctuated it with raised eyebrows. _

_Totally lost Edward furrowed his brows, "Okay," he said hesitantly. "Good to know."_

"_Don't sweat it, bro," Emmett said as he turned back towards the door. "If the tiles come off I'm your man, I can fix that shit easy."_

"_What are you on about?" Edward demanded, getting pissed at the cryptic nature of the conversation. _

_Emmett huffed cheekily and grinned, showing all his teeth. "I'm on about you making all these shower babies, dude. Your jizz will eventually eat through the grouting and the tiles will come off. Just wanted to warn you, I've had to redo mine twice already."_

_Edward's fingers gripped the arm of his desk chair so violently he pulled it clean off. The high pitched screech as the mounting brackets gave way made him wince. "You're disgusting," Edward hissed as he tossed the mangled piece of the arm at his brother's head. _

_Emmett, fully prepared for Edward's reaction, grinned a little wider and ducked just as the offending piece of plastic hit the door frame. "Eddie, don't get upset. We choose to fap not because it's easy, but because it's hard," he snorted and then took off down the landing and back to the relative safety of his own rooms. _

"_Asshat," Edward spat, using one of Bella's very favourite insults. "Fap," he snorted, unable to hide a small chuckle._

* * *

"How long?" Edward asked a smirking Jasper as he came to on the forest floor.

"Eight minutes," Jasper laughed. "Can't think what you're stressed about this time," he chuckled as he held his hand out for Edward.

Dusting his pants off and running a hand through his hair Edward growled. "Really?" he barked, "You have NO idea what's got me so pissy?" he asked his retreating brother.

Holding his hands up in surrender Jasper shrugged. "Well, yeah, I can guess, but seeing as you never tell anyone squat it'd only be a guess."

Blowing out an unnecessary breath Edward began to pace. He had a point. Damn. "Yeah, okay, I'll cop to that," he muttered darkly. "Ask then," he chuckled after a few 'laps'.

Jasper smirked and took a few steps to his left before coming to lean against a tree trunk. "The sisters or Bella?" he asked.

"Both," Edward laughed. "They're equally exasperating."

"They're women, they're supposed to be," Jasper chuckled. "Listen, I talked to Bella just before and she told me you two were making a go of it, so that's all good, right?"

Raising his eyebrows Edward stared at him. "She said that?" he asked and when Jasper nodded he grinned. "Yeah, then that's all good."

"So it's the sisters then," Jasper prodded.

"Damn straight," Edward barked. Pacing for a few seconds more he prepared himself for what was more than likely going to be his first ever decent rant. "Why are they here? And don't pretend not to know, you all had a hand in it," he accused. "Someone invited them and I'm smart enough to know that whoever that was knew what they were likely to try and do. What I want to know is why?"

Jasper, caught out but not wholly bothered by that, grinned. "Carlisle decided to ask them to visit," he admitted easily. "In case you haven't worked out for yourself as yet, we hear and see things and we were concerned that you and Bella circling each other like you were was getting you nowhere. So he decided to call in the artillery."

"More like fucking H-bombs," Edward sneered. "They're horrible!" he shouted as he pointed towards the direction of the house. Jasper simply nodded. "They have no boundaries at all and they don't fucking listen," Edward ranted. "Tanya's got hands like an octopus, no matter which way you turn to avoid her she's got another fucking hand there ready to touch you. And Kate's no better with all the fucking sniffing and feigning coyness. Irina seemed to be the least offensive of the three but she's as cunning as a cut snake too!"

Laughing harder because of Edward's use of the term 'fucking' rather than his very accurate portrayal of the sisters Jasper had to agree. "Might have been overkill, I agree, but it's done the trick."

"It did, but why throw me to the wolves to get the job done?" asked rhetorically. "Why not just sit me down and say 'hey, Ed, Bella's not going to open up to you until she's pushed'. Why not just do that. Why unleash the Kraken?"

"Kraken!" Jasper howled. "Oh that's a good one, remind me to tell Esme."

"Shut up," Edward hissed playfully. "Be serious a minute. Why, if you all knew what we were going through, didn't someone just sit one of us down?"

Jasper shrugged. "We didn't know you well enough I guess. We didn't know whether you'd listen."

"I might have, not at first maybe, but a couple of days ago I'd have been open to it," Edward admitted. "Bella might have though."

Laughing again Jasper began to shake his head. "No way. Bella doesn't listen to anyone. Never has, doubt she ever will. But we could see her withdrawing so we did what we thought would work. Sorry we hung you out to dry, man."

Nodding Edward motioned towards the path and the two brothers started the walk home. "Any advice you can give me for getting out of having to take the black widow for a drive?" he asked a little ways down the track.

"Black widow," Jasper chuckled. "Another good one. Who knew you had a sense of humour? I don't know why one of you doesn't just come out and say you're mates. It'll all go away then. The sisters will back off and go home and you two can do the nasty and all the UST in the house will go away too. Not that I'm not enjoying it, personally," he laughed as he slapped Edward on the back.

Stopping immediately Edward tried to decide which question to ask first. Calling ahead to make Jasper stop too he stalked to where his brother waited, twenty yards on. "I have no fucking idea what UST is, for a start," Edward barked. "But why would it make the sisters go home if I was to come out and say I was Bella's friend?"

"UST...unresolved sexual tension," Jasper chuckled before continuing. "And friend? Who said anything about you two being friends. I said mates."

Shaking his head over the sexual tension remark Edward stood stock still in the middle of the path and just stared at his brother. He was either missing something or Jasper was speaking another language. "Mate, a noun. Friend, pal, chum. Or do you mean mate as in to have sex with?" he asked, still stumbling over the 's' word.

All at once an icy cold feeling took Jasper over. Standing there, on the path leading home, it hit him. Nobody had told Edward what a mate was. "Holy Christ on a cracker," he hissed. "You don't know," he muttered to himself.

"Don't know what?" Edward hissed.

"You," Jasper pointed to Edward's chest, "You need to talk to Bella." Nodding towards the path for Edward to follow they set off, each with questions lingering in their minds.

Well, thought Edward, that's an end to that conversation. Whatever he had to talk to Bella about wasn't something Jasper was willing to speak with him about.

Jasper was incensed that nobody had told Edward the ins and outs of what mates were. Edward was confused and more than a little pissed at being kept in the dark about something that was quite probably very important.

Reaching the house at a good clip Edward intended to run right up the stairs and begin questioning Bella, but the sisters had other ideas for him entirely.

"Oh good, here you are," Irina purred irritatingly. She'd showered and changed into a black halter- necked cat suit and was tapping her foot rhythmically on the floor with a dangerously high stiletto heel. "I'd like to claim my prize now," she said after licking her blood red lip-glossed lips.

"I can't go now," Edward huffed as he came into the living room. "I need a word with Bella."

"Oh, she's not home. Gone out I think," Irina smirked evilly.

Jasper, coming into the house right behind Edward sniffed the air and sighed. Bella wasn't home. Neither was Esme or Carlisle by the smell of the place. The sisters had played their hand well. "What did you do?" he scowled at a smirking Tanya who was reclining – probably in a way she thought was sultry but actually made her look as though she was in pain – across the ottoman.

Holding her hands up in mock surrender she giggled. "I haven't done a thing, cousin."

"What did _you_ do then?" Jasper turned on Kate who was pretending to be engrossed in a magazine on the sofa.

Kate went for innocent but had achieved bitchy. "I was worried for the dear girl," she sighed unconvincingly. "She's been behaving very oddly. So naturally, as her cousin, I was worried enough to want to help. I thought it best to point out that worry to her dam. They've taken her on a little jaunt I think, to give her a break from the tension in this house."

Edward began to shake. "Where have they taken her? When is she coming back? What's wrong with her?" he demanded.

Irina, seeing an opportunity, strode to him and put a hand in the middle of his chest. "Oh, sweet boy, she's perfectly fine. I think they've just gone to hunt. Nothing to worry about. She's always been a little unstable, not very strong, poor thing. Not the best upbringing," she whispered conspiratorially.

But Edward knew differently. She'd told him herself. She'd had a wonderful childhood and she'd loved and respected her father. And there was no way anyone could describe Bella as weak. She was the strongest person he knew. She'd fought against her feelings all this time and if either of them was going to be looked upon as weak it was going to be him.

He'd given in to his feelings from the get go. It had made no sense at the time. If he'd have attempted to fight those feelings as Bella had he'd have crumbled after hours, probably minutes. But not Bella. She wasn't weak and she wasn't unstable.

This was another set up.

For whatever reason they wanted Bella away from him. Or him away from Bella.

A quick glance at Jasper cemented the theory in Edward's mind. Jasper was mad, really mad. And Edward thought that he was probably mad on either his own or Bella's behalf because he too knew that Bella wasn't weak. Edward might have only just met her, but Jasper had known her for fourteen years.

It was another game.

Separate them; pick them off individually because these fucking witches knew that together they were stronger.

Well, thought Edward. Game on.

"I'll shower and change and be right back," he told a very satisfied looking Irina.

He vaulted the stairs and once he was inside his own room he withdrew his cell from his jeans pocket and typed out a text to Bella, then one to Carlisle. He shucked his clothing and then made for the shower.

As he lathered himself he thought about the word mate. Jasper had said it with reverence. He'd made it sound like uttering the word would make the sisters back off. Mate. Australians used the word to describe a friend. It could also be used to describe the sex act between animals. They mated. If he and Bella had sex would the sisters back off because of it? He didn't think so.

The sisters, he'd been led to believe, had sex often and with whoever they pleased. Why would him having sex with Bella make them back off? That couldn't be it.

Mate. Such a strange word for Jasper to use.

Finishing his cleansing he dried himself hurriedly and once he was dry he pulled on some clean clothes and opened his laptop. Opening the Free Dictionary in a browser he typed in the word 'mate'.

The first definition turned his gut to jelly. 'One of a matched pair'.

Mates. Pairs. Not friends. Mates. Not boyfriend and girlfriend. Mates. Not dating. Mates. Not animals having sex. Mates.

Bella was his mate. Vampires had mates. Not lovers. Not just wives or husbands. They had mates. Bella was his mate.

Anger and a little excitement flew around his system as he made the connection. Anger at not having been told about the possibility of the concept right after his change, and excitement because if they were mates he doubted any fighting it would work now. He'd felt something for her the instant she'd wrapped her arms around him in his bedroom the day he'd woken, and now he knew why.

What upset him was the thought that Bella might have felt it too and she'd said nothing. She'd fought the feeling. She'd fought him. She'd hidden and she'd tried to fight the feelings she had for him. Knowing she couldn't, that the feeling was natural and that it more than likely couldn't be ignored didn't make him feel any better. That she'd wanted to fight it, that she'd tried to ignore it cut bone deep.

What he knew was all learned from myth and legend but in every single account of mates that he'd ever read about the word 'eternity' had cropped up over and over. Wives could leave husbands. Lovers could fall out of love. Boyfriends could cheat and girlfriends could take multiple lovers. But mates...mates were for life. There had never been an instance of a mate betraying a mate that he'd read about. Even fucking penguins mated for life!

Bella couldn't fight him. Bella couldn't deny him. Bella could argue and bitch and demand they go slowly but the end result was going to be the same no matter how they came at it. She was his. He was hers. She was his mate.

The ping of an incoming text message tore his attention away from the swirl of thoughts. Snatching his cell off the desk Edward read both replies.

Esme, on behalf of Carlisle had written ~ We'll talk once the sisters have gone home. ~

That was fair enough, Edward thought.

Bella had written ~ I'm hunting and I'm fine. Truly. Don't panic, please. We'll talk when I get back. ~

You bet your sweet, ripe little ass we'll talk when you get home Edward thought as he slipped the cell into his pocket and took his keys from the desk. Oh yes, Isabella, we're going to have a very long, very serious discussion.

The three sisters were right where he'd left them when he got back to the living room. Edward was hyper. His thoughts were jumbled and his venom was flowing so fast he had to almost constantly suck it back. He didn't want to drive with Irina, he knew what she was up to but with the new knowledge in his head that one simple word would make her back off he was determined to take the sisters on at their own game. He had a plan and he was quite looking forward to enacting it.

Bring it on bitches he thought as he jingled his keys in his hand. "You ready?" he all but hissed at Irina.

He'd take the bitch on a drive all right. Armed with the knowledge that Bella was his, that he had a mate and that nothing the three nymphomaniacs could do or say could change that, he relished the game.

Irina threw her sisters a smug grin and then announced that they were heading out and that the sisters shouldn't wait up. Edward chuckled to himself as he led Irina to his waiting car. She had no idea what he was about to do and it made him feel powerful.

Once she was seated he moved to the driver's side and slid into the supple leather seat. Not bothering with the seatbelt he simply slid the key home and let the engine roar.

"Oh it's so powerful," Irina purred, gratingly.

Ignoring her Edward threw the car into drive and fishtailed it out of the drive and onto the road. He hit the on ramp to the highway at fifty miles an hour he had the little Mercedes cranked up to seventy-five within seconds and was pelting down the dual carriage way at a hundred and by the time they passed the track that lead to Strawberry Bay he was winding through the bends at one hundred and thirty.

"Where are we heading?" Irina asked as Edward took a hairpin bend so fast she was thrown against the door.

Grinning, showing all his teeth but never taking his eyes off the road, Edward wondered if it was good form to say 'to hell', but went with something a little less aggressive. "Aberdeen," he said as casually as he could as the car swerved through another bend, making the back end swing wildly.

"Are we in a hurry to get there?" Irina winced as she was thrown against the door violently.

"Oh yes," Edward growled as he slammed on the brakes for nothing at all and felt a jolt of pleasure as the awful dragon catapulted forwards. Slamming her hands on the dash to stave off the impact she hissed loudly but made no comment. Edward, however, wasn't done answering her question. "The sooner we get there the faster I can eject you from this vehicle you fucking bitch," he hissed as he threw the car into yet another power slide around a forty-five degree turn.

Irina's eyes were fairly bugging from within her skull as she righted herself in her seat. "What did I do?" she asked, attempting to keep innocence in her voice when there was no longer any point bothering.

"You fucking played me," he growled at a now cowering Irina.

Ahead was a large truck laden with concrete pipes and to Irina it looked as though Edward had no intention of swerving into the other lane to avoid it, or correcting his speed to adjust for the slower pace of it. Once again throwing her hands out in front of herself to prepare for the impact Irina closed her eyes and in the split second, as the rear of the truck loomed in front of them, she wished she'd never begun the game. No harm would come to her if he wrecked the car, but the drivers of the vehicles he hit wouldn't fair quite so well. He was a newborn and thusly very volatile and unpredictable. Deciding that silence was a far better option Irina, for once, kept her big trap shut.

Edward was livid but he didn't want to destroy his brand new car. He knew he'd survive a crash, and so would Irina, unfortunately, he thought as he pulled out at the very last second.

Mates he thought as he overtook the truck at one hundred and sixty miles an hour on one of the first straight stretches of highway there was. With one simple word all the taunting, teasing and ridiculous flirting would've just melted away.

If someone had told him, if someone had've given him some clue that what he was feeling for Bella was normal, and that she was feeling it too, the weeks of anguish and hostility between them might have been avoided. But did anyone say the word? Not a fucking chance he seethed as he twisted the wheel and let the car slide through the slight curve.

"You fuckers played me like a fiddle," he snarled at nobody in particular, even though Irina was the only one present to receive his wrath. "All along they fucking knew she was my mate and said nothing. Nothing!" he roared in the tiny cab of the car, making Irina start to shake. "You and your fucking sisters knew, didn't you?" he demanded in one of the only times he'd taken his eyes off the road since he'd switched it on in the drive. "You fucking knew all along that we were mates and you toyed with me anyway!" he screamed as he punched a fist sized dent into the console between them.

Irina gasped. If they were mates she didn't know about it. If they were mates she'd never have played the games she'd been playing and she was sure her sisters wouldn't have either. None of them wanted mates for themselves, they were more than happy to go along as they were, but being mated was something no vampire would attempt to toy with. "No," she whispered, trying to remain calm. "We didn't know."

But Edward wasn't listening. "Everyone fucking knew but me," he continued ranting despite Irina's declaration. "Well I'll tell you something for free, it's the last time I'll be made to look a fool by any Cullen!"

With the sea in his sights on one side and the forest to the other Edward's anger and frustration at being kept in the dark – and played with by the sisters while the family had known all along how simply it could've all been made to go away – transferred itself from his body to the accelerator.

Forks to Aberdeen was one hundred and eight miles following the highway and he'd covered the distance in a very angry thirty-six minutes. Reaching the outskirts of the little town Edward slammed his foot onto the brake right outside the Hoquiam River RV Park. Before the car came to a full stop Irina was out of if and standing on the shoulder of the road pulling in great gulps of unneeded oxygen.

Edward got out of the driver's seat casually and went around the car. With eyes blazing he strode to where Irina was standing and held out his hand. "Give me your cell phone," he demanded in a growl. Irina, smart enough to know not to pick a fight with a newborn when one was in such a rage, put it directly into his hand. "And any cash you've got on you," he added for good measure. Pulling a small roll of bills from between her breasts Irina put those into his hand too. Lip curling Edward hovered over her, "If you alert anyone in the Cullen house to anything I've just said in that vehicle I will hunt you down. Are we clear?" he all but spat into her face. Nodding furiously Irina agreed. "Run, walk, hitch a ride, buy a car, steal one, I don't fucking care. But if you alert anyone I'll end you with my own bare hands, Irina," he promised her, using Carlisle's words without having any idea how it could be achieved.

But the threat was clear to Irina. Edward and Bella were mates and she and her sisters had tugged the tail of one very, very angry newborn.

Edward spared no further thought for her as he got back into his car and headed back towards Forks. Throwing Irina's cell onto the passenger seat he slid his own into the holder on the dash and dialled the house. When Esme answered Edward asked for Tanya.

"Edward darling," she drawled as she took possession of the handset in the Cullen residence.

"I want you and Kate to meet Irina and me on Undi Road, just inside Bogachiel State Park, do you know it?" Edward asked, doing his best impression of a seductive voice. "Tell me now if you can't slip away without alerting anyone and I'll just bring her home."

Tanya, grinning from ear to ear licked her bottom lip at the thought of the three sisters sharing Edward. "I see. Yes, I think that will work," she announced confidently, answering his query without alerting anyone in the house to what it had been.

"Twenty minutes," Edward told her before disconnecting the call and slamming his foot down on the accelerator.

Irina gathered her thoughts by the side of the road and tried to think of what to do. Heading him off at the pass was futile, that car would out-run her easily even if she went cross country. She could easily find somewhere to call from, but should she? He hadn't hurt her, or attempted to do anything other than warn her off, but why should she bear the brunt of his anger alone she grumbled to herself as she made her way towards the little town's main street. It might do her sisters good to experience his wrath just as she had.

Yes, Irina thought as she pulled another small roll of bills from a zippered pocket at her left ankle, why should she have all the fun when her sisters deserved a bit too. Strolling along she began to hear the quiet sounds of a gathering. Drunken sounds if her ears were correct. And where there were drunkards there were warm, willing male bodies. Perhaps the trip to Forks wouldn't be a complete waste of time after all.

Tanya and Kate made it to Undi Road only three minutes before Edward did. His stabbed at the brake once he could see them and once the car had come to a complete halt he leapt from it. He didn't wait for either of them to notice that their sister wasn't present. "Darlings," he drawled as he neared them. "So glad you came."

All thought for their sister left their brains as they watched him come towards them. He looked lean and hungry and his eyes were still that wonderful crimson from his change. Both sisters shivered as he came closer. He was a stunning creature. They'd been led to believe that he'd been shy as a human but he showed no sign of that now that he'd been changed. He was all male and all vampire as he quickly covered the distance. Both grinned in smug triumph. Both could already picture the elegance of him in orgasm, and both relished being the first to take that from him.

Holding out his hands Edward smiled as warmly as he could at each sister in turn. "I'd hate for us to be disturbed, can I have your cell phones?" he chuckled. Neither sister hesitated. Edward slid them both into a pocket each in his jeans then motioned for the sisters to come closer. Turning he slid an arm around each of their shoulders and pulled them closer still. "I'm thinking we should play a little game. Either of you up for a game?" he asked jovially.

"First one to get naked?" Kate purred.

"First one to orgasm?" Tanya trilled.

Hiding his cringe Edward began to laugh. "No, not that sort of game," he told the excited women. Tightening his hold on their shoulders he pulled them even closer. "I'll tell you the rules of the game I've got in mind and then you tell me whether or not you want to play. Sound fair?" he asked.

With a brief look from one sister to the other they both decided they were game. "We're in," Tanya announced on behalf of the two of them.

"Oh good," Edward feigned. Stepping off the tarmac and leading them both into the trees Edward tried hard to keep his anger in check. If he tipped his hand they'd run straight home and he couldn't have that. Twenty yards into the forest Edward let the sisters go and asked them to take a seat on a fallen log. Once they had he turned to face them and then let fly. "I'll tell you how this game is going to go. I'm going to do my damnedest not to rip both your fucking heads off for the way you've behaved towards me this past couple of days," he told them. "I'm going to do everything I can to just get back in my car and drive away from here without destroying you both. But I have to warn you that it took a fair amount of self determination not to finish your sister, so I'm not confident I can walk away from you two right now if you defy me on this."

Kate began to shake. "Irina," she whimpered as Tanya began to shiver.

"She's alive and well," Edward assured both of the gaping women. "And you two will remain alive and well if you keep your fucking mouths shut," he roared. "I'm going to say this once, and only once, so best you listen," he raged as he began to pace before them. "Bella is my mate. I don't care whether you did or didn't know and I don't care what you do with the information now that you do know. But she's my mate and that's an end to all these games. Is that clear?"

Both girls nodded violently. They were as shocked as Irina had been to learn that Bella and Edward were mates. They'd thought he was fair game. Bella hadn't claimed him despite the games the women had been playing and that was almost unheard of. But it didn't matter now. Edward had declared Bella as his mate and that was an end to any thought of playing games with him, or her. He was effectively off the market.

"Of course," Tanya replied quietly.

"You should've said when we arrived," Kate whispered.

"I didn't fucking know!" Edward growled. "Nobody thought to fucking tell me that it was possible, let alone that what I was feeling was normal!" he began pacing again as he let his words sink in. "So I'm telling you now, straight up, whether she wants me or not I'm not available to you or anyone else. I'm taking your cell's and I'm giving you fair warning that if you attempt to alert anyone at the house to what I've done or said here I'll hunt you down. If you show your faces at that house before dawn I'll hunt you down."

"Alright," Kate decided for both of the sisters. He was serious; any idiot could tell he was serious. She didn't know why he wanted them to stay away and she didn't really care. You didn't mess with newborns when they were going through a crisis. It wouldn't hurt Tanya or herself to spend a few hours in the forest so whatever he had planned at the house wasn't going to involve them. Nobody would let him hurt any of the others so a night roaming around sounded like they'd gotten off lightly. Finding Irina might be a good idea though she thought as Edward stalked back towards his car. "Where did you leave Irina?" she called as Edward sank into his seat.

"Aberdeen," he called through the open window as he turned the snub nose of the Mercedes back towards the highway. "A hundred miles south. Have a lovely evening ladies," he called as he took off.

* * *

**A/N: I do love an Edward with a plan :P**

**Thank you for reading. **

**Please review. **


	19. Chapter 19

_Dragging the rolled up carpet as though it were a dead body Emmett dumped it in the centre of the little living room. "Dude, that thing stinks," he pointed to the offending item. _

"_It's been cleaned," Edward huffed, sick of Emmett's whining. Going back to the task of lining his beloved books up on the shelving Edward tried to ignore his brothers as best he could. Just as Bella had when he'd been packing them up the two boys hated every item they'd been asked to retrieve from storage. 'It's old', 'it's boring', 'it's stuffy' they'd moaned at every opportunity and Edward was over it. _

_Wincing as Jasper knocked the freshly painted frame of the arch in the hall with the leg of an armchair Edward did his best not to react. There were going to be knocks and dents everywhere once he and Bella took up residence anyway. Grinning to himself he thought about all the times they'd bashed through the empty rooms in the throes of passion. _

"_Dude, he's grinning again," Jasper chuckled as both brothers raised their eyebrows at Edward. _

"_What's done it this time you think, Jaz?" Emmett asked with a wink. "The books? The kitchen table?"_

"_Don't know," Jasper replied with a wink of his own. They loved goading Edward. They loved goading Bella more because she bit back so well, but they loved taunting Edward about his sex life all the same. The destruction in the Masen house after the two of them had gotten their shit together was legendary and the two brothers took every opportunity to comment on it. "Might be the sofa or it could be the light fitting for all I know. You remember the state of the place 'after'," he chuckled, "they probably hung off the light fitting at some point."_

"_Does he look like a light fitting swinger to you, Jaz? I don't think he does. I think he's a down on the floor, down and dirty kinda guy," Emmett sniggered, knowing it would annoy Edward. "In fact, I think it's this rug that's done it this time. Bring back some memories does it, Eddie?" he guffawed as Edward turned and growled at the use of his old name. "Yeah, it's a floor thing. Look at him Jaz; it's definitely a floor thing for Ed and Bell's."_

"_Oh, I get it now," Jasper said, nodding as though he'd just discovered something important. "That's a shag pile rug," he laughed, pointing to the lovely old rug Emmett had just brought in. _

_Emmett cracked up. "Good one Jaz," he told his brother with a sharp slap to his shoulder. "Shag pile!"_

_Edward, having had enough of being the butt of all the jokes, decided that if he couldn't beat his brothers he'd join them. "Nah," he drawled as he moved towards the rug and slit the string binding it. "It's a perversion rug," he laughed._

* * *

Knowing that Edward and Jasper were out in the forest on the hunt made Bella twitchy and jumpy. She wanted to be out there with him herself. If he fainted she wanted to be the one to soothe him when he came to. She wanted to be the one he confided in and she wanted to be the one he found solace with, if there as any to be had. But more than that she wanted to be on the hunt with him. She wanted to share her hunt with him and she wanted him to share his with her. It's what mates did.

Jasper had assured her that Edward as 'just fine'. And that was great. She was happy he was doing well. She really was. But she needed to see it and know it for herself. Second hand information wasn't good enough when it involved ones mate.

But she hadn't been invited on his hunt and she couldn't go out there without that invitation. If he wanted her along he'd ask her himself.

The term 'itchy feet' had been coined for a reason Bella thought as she paced along her windows watching the yard and hoping for a glimpse of Edward returning.

"Bella!" Esme called from the living room, making Bella jump such was her concentration on the view.

Taking the stairs two at a time Bella came into the living room to be confronted by her parents and the three hags from which there was no escape. "Bella dear, come and sit by me," Kate drawled with such saccharine sweetness Bella nearly gagged from the sugar overload and was glad that vampires couldn't get diabetes.

As Kate patted the seat beside herself on the sofa Bella ranged her hearing out about the house. No Rosie, no Alice, no Emmett. Jasper was with Edward in the forest. This was either an intervention or she was being voted off the island. The absence of torches was strangely ominous. "What's doing, tricks?" she smirked at Kate as she took the proffered seat.

"The young have such wonderful senses of humour," Kate sneered while nobody but Bella could see the expression on her face. "We all thought that while the others were out we'd take the opportunity to talk to you, dear girl."

Bella loathed being called 'dear girl' by this trollop but smiled sweetly none the less. "Oh yes?" she asked, feigning ignorance about what the talk could possibly be about. "Did I win a car or something?" she giggled as jovially as she could.

Carlisle, reclining in his favourite armchair raised his eyebrows at Bella but said nothing. To Bella it looked as though he was trying to tell her something. She hoped the message was that this meeting wasn't his idea. Shackles rising before the meat of the issues were even raised Bella was ready and willing for a showdown with the sisters.

"We're all concerned about you," Kate said in a tone that she probably thought was motherly but was actually quite condescending. "During the times we've been invited to visit before you've seemed so happy, so willing to join in with the group. But this time you just seem so dejected. We've hardly seen you at all and when you do come out of your room you don't seem to want to be a part of the family at all. Family is very important, Bella dear. It's all we truly have in this life."

Bella wanted to lunge at her and tear her throat out; instead she threw her head back and laughed. And it was laughable. Kate didn't care what Bella was feeling at all and Bella knew it. The only person Kate worried about was Kate. "You're so funny," Bella laughed while she pointed directly at a gaping Kate. "Look at you, pretending to give a shit what's going on for me," she sneered. Getting up from the sofa Bella made straight for the backdoor. "There is nothing wrong with me that you going home won't fix," she threw over her shoulder as she slammed the glass door behind herself.

Bella went south; in the exact opposite direction she knew that Jasper and Edward had gone. She'd only gone two hundred yards when she heard two sets of footfalls following her. She hoped for the sake of family unity that it wasn't two of the three sisters that were following her because if it was then one of the sisters would be taking her kin home in a bag.

Ignoring the followers as best she could Bella ran and ran and felt better for it. The run to the beach had been a chore. Having to follow the group and stick to a jog had been frustrating. But now she could really let loose, and she did. She skipped over fallen trees and rocks and branches and tried to let all the rage and aggression she felt towards the cousins go.

By the time she hit the edge of the river and slowed she was prepared for whoever it was following her. She crept along the craggy rocks that lined the river on the west side and crouched low where a ridge lifted into a little lip. She had a good clear view of the path she'd taken so she would see the pair easily as they approached her position. She was upwind of them so identifying them from scent alone was useless. It was going to need to be a visual.

Trying to contain her growl inside her throat Bella steeled herself to pounce. The footfalls came closer, maybe twenty yards back further up the path, and as they got louder Bella's venom began to flow. Frustration and anger and jealousy all swirled through her system as she readied herself to confront her stalkers.

Please let it be two sisters Bella chanted in her head. Please let it be two sisters.

But it wasn't. It was her parents. And as Bella leapt out from her hiding spot and roared into the forest Esme and Carlisle slipped into crouches of their own.

"What the fuck do you want?" Bella hissed once they'd come close enough.

Holding their hands up in surrender Carlisle threw Esme a quick glance then straightened from his crouch. "We just want to make sure you're alright," Carlisle said as calmly as he could.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Bella hissed from between gritted teeth. "Neither of you have given a shit about any of this all this time so why do you care now? You let them speak to me that way!" she shouted as she pointed back towards the house and where the sisters were. "You didn't defend me, or Edward. You invited them here knowing what they were likely to try and pull and it worked, so you can just fuck off home now and be happy knowing your little game worked."

As Carlisle was about to reply his cell chirped. Taking it from his pocket he threw it to Esme. "Please deal with whatever that is," he told his wife without taking his eyes off his daughter. "I invited the cousins here because I _did_ care about what you were going through. You didn't come to me; you didn't talk to anyone else about what you were feeling either. We could all see you struggling and I thought you might just need a little nudge. I admit that the cousins might have been the wrong kind of nudge, and I wish to god that I'd never invited them now, but I did and it's done and I can't take it back." He was about to go on when Bella's cell chirped.

Not righting herself from her crouch Bella took her phone from her own pocket and stared down at the screen. It was Edward; he was back at the house and wondering where she was and if everything was alright. She tapped out a quick reply and slid the phone back into her pocket. "It was Edward," Bella told her worried parents when they asked if everything was alright. "And no, everything isn't all right. It hasn't been alright for a while, but I'm dealing with it."

"Are you dealing with it?" Esme asked carefully.

"Yes," Bella replied belligerently. "My mate and I are dealing with it as best we can." It was the first time she'd allowed the 'm' word to slip from between her lips and it felt good to say it. The radiant smile on Esme's face told her all she needed to know about her mother's feelings on the situation. And that just made Bella madder.

"You've chosen a mate?" Carlisle asked as innocently as he could whilst trying to hide his self satisfied smirk.

"No," Bella replied hastily. "At least I didn't choose. I don't know," she muttered, unsure of how to explain or even if she should. She was so angry at everyone for conspiring and for going behind her back that she found it hard to speak with her parents in anything other than a hiss or a growl. Straightening from her crouch Bella began to pace, as most vampires are wont to do when feeling confused and at a loss. "Edward is my mate," she said firmly to nobody in particular and to her parents it seemed as though she was still trying the phrase on for size. They'd known it to be true, probably long before Bella came to the realisation for herself, and they both knew and understood how daunting it could be. "Edward is my mate," Bella said again, more firmly this time. "But I fell in love with him before I thought he might be. Does that make sense?"

"Perfect sense," Carlisle assured his frantic daughter. "You saw something in him before the idea that he could be your mate came to you. That's perfectly logical and normal, darling. Please forgive us for remaining silent while you struggled with that."

"I could've said something," Bella conceded.

"That doesn't matter now," Esme said as she approached cautiously. "We can help now that we know. How do you feel now?"

"Angry," Bella hissed, side stepping her mother and the help she was offering. "Angry because I failed him, we failed him," she barked. Esme, trying again to reach out to her daughter, stepped a little closer and held her arms out for Bella again. But Bella wasn't having it. She was too angry to accept her mother's kindness, too riled to want to let go of her resentment and far too eager to set eyes on her mate to want to stand in the forest and debate the ins and outs of it. Stretching her neck from side to side, as vampires often did to relieve tension; she looked her mother dead in the eye. "I have a mate," she said firmly. "He deserves to know that what he's feeling is natural and you should've told him. I should've told him as soon as I started feeling it for myself, and I'll answer for that when I talk to him myself, but you two," she said pointing a finger beyond Esme and towards Carlisle, "you two should've taken him aside and made him understand. I don't know why you didn't and I don't know why you decided the cousins were the answer, but you'll have to answer to that with him yourselves. I'm going home now. I'm going home to try and find five minutes peace and quiet to talk to my mate. Follow or don't, I don't really care." And with that she took off in the direction of home.

Her parents stood quietly while they listened to her footfalls along the little path. After they'd abated Esme turned to her husband and grinned. "Feisty when she's in love, isn't she?" she giggled.

Carlisle, matching her grin, stepped to his wife's side. "She is and she's just like her mother." Taking Esme's hand he brought it to his lips and kissed her knuckles softly. "I won't miss the cousins but I think I'm going to miss the sexual tension when Edward finally beds Bella," he chuckled.

Esme, laughing softly, squeezed her husband's hand. "I won't miss the cousins either," she giggled. "But, do you remember those first few years after my change?" she asked as Carlisle nodded. "We made love like rabbits and they will too. There'll be plenty of tension in our house for a while yet."

Back at the house Bella was disappointed to not find Edward there. Finding only Alice and Rose in the house she asked where the boys were and was told that Jasper and Emmett had gone to town for something and that Edward had taken Irina for the drive she'd won. The whereabouts of the other pair of tarts was anyone's guess.

Sniping and griping the whole way she went up to her room to pack.

The idea had come to her as she'd run home. She and Edward needed a few days alone to sort out the mess they were in. Sending the others away was overkill so she'd pack an overnight bag and talk Edward into getting away somewhere, just the two of them, so they could really talk. Throwing two sets of clean clothes and underwear into the bag and then going through to her bathroom she tossed the contents of her vanity's counter into it and zipped it up.

Standing in her doorway staring at Edward's room she wondered if she should pack a bag for him too. There was no way she'd go into his personal space, mate or not. It just wasn't done. She'd be horrified if someone did that to her and she knew that Edward would be too. Instead she went down to the laundry room and retrieved two sets of clothes for him from the clean washing there. Running back up to her room she shoved his clothing into her backpack and went back into her bathroom to grab a new toothbrush to add to it.

She didn't know if he'd be keen to get away so the things she'd packed could easily be returned to their places without him ever needing to know what she'd planned. But she hoped he would want to go. She hoped he did want to talk to her and she hoped he'd forgive her for fighting him and her own feelings every step of their, so far, complicated path.

Hearing her parents returning, and the boys come whooping up the yard after their excursion, Bella moved to her windows and watched the four of them come barrelling across the lawn.

Bella couldn't know the emotional turmoil Edward was trying to work through as he drove home from Bogachiel Park, and she couldn't know that Edward had spent the previous hours, working himself into an emotional lather. She couldn't know that he felt betrayed by the family. She couldn't know how angry he was with her that she'd not told him about the concept and ramifications of being someone's mate. She couldn't know that at the very second she was planning a romantic getaway for the both of them that Edward was planning something less romantic and a whole lot more explosive.

Edward took the drive home slowly. He needed the time to get straight in his mind what he was going to do and what he was going to say. He had no way to know whether the trio were on their way home, or whether they'd taken his threat to hurt them seriously if they did, so he arrived at the house blind.

There was no fresh scent of the sisters in the drive so if they had come to the house they hadn't approached from the front. Their scent wasn't on the porch either and as he slid his key home in the lock he was relieved. The aggression he'd felt in their presence had been a little frightening for someone who hadn't had an aggressive bone in his body as a human. But now, since his change, he felt it almost constantly. There was a violent tendency to his nature now that hadn't been there before. It wasn't just his sense of smell and his perfect hearing and eyesight that had changed, it was his brains capacity to think as well. Every conversation, however insignificant, could be recalled at will. Every nuance of every word spoken could be recounted. Every movement that had seemed trivial or superfluous could be shown like a movie reel in his mind and Edward wasn't used to dealing with that.

He'd had an easy, trouble free existence as a human. As a vampire he was swamped by emotions and feelings he'd never experienced and he was overwrought by them. He'd never had to work to express himself as a human because he'd never wanted to express anything. He'd never had a need to try and make himself understood because his parents understood him from birth because they'd shaped him themselves. He'd never had to fit in with half a dozen different personalities before because his parents had his personality too. Domestic discord was foreign, as was his need to express his unhappiness with turns of events. In the Masen house there had never been any discord and there had never been a turn of events. Life had remained the same since his birth. Nothing new every occurred so there was no need for Edward to ever try and get used to a new situation.

Now _everything_ was new. He was new. He had new thoughts, new experiences, and new personalities to take into consideration. He had a new mind and a new body and they were working overtime, all the time.

The strength and power of his new body were wonderful things on the hunt, but they could be harmful if left unchecked. He'd done his best to rein them in since his change but now, as he moved through the ground floor of the Cullen house, he welcomed those feelings.

In his mind he'd been betrayed. The Cullen family as a collective whole had left out fundamental information in their teachings and Edward felt deceived.

He moved through the house calmly though beneath the surface he was a writhing, seething mess. He felt every inch the vampire he was as he took the stairs to the third floor. It was late enough that the other pairs in the house were in their own suites so nobody came out onto any of the landings to see who it was that was stomping around.

When he got to Bella's door he knocked just once, one firm rap but then went right in without an invitation.

"Hey, I wondered where you'd got..." Bella trailed off as she looked Edward over. "What's wrong?" she asked carefully, seeing the anger in his eyes and etched onto his face. If Irina had done something to upset him she was going to kill her with her own hands Bella thought as she stared at her mate. And she was going to do it slowly.

He looked feral. His fists were clenched at his sides and his lips were in a grimace so contorted he looked as though he'd been struck by a fist and his features had set that way. Bella moved away from the windows and made to go toward him but Edward began to growl steadily from deep within his chest, effectively halting her approach. "What's wrong?" she whispered again, desperate to know, desperate to try and help him if she could.

But Edward was beyond answering questions. Edward was beyond rational thought. Edward was beyond logical, reasonable discussion. He was beyond quiet conversation. He was beyond begging Bella to listen and he was beyond trying to convince her to try to love him.

He was a vampire and he knew what he wanted and he knew who he wanted. He might have been a newborn but he knew without needing to be told that vampires claimed their mates. He felt it inside himself. As he stared at her he saw the concern in her eyes and on her face but all he could think about was the need to claim her. She was his and he knew that she couldn't deny him now. He looked her over, from head to toe, and knew that her luscious, lithe body was his for the taking. She was his.

But Edward didn't want that. Edward didn't want her if he had to take her. He wanted her to give herself to him.

He paced a short line from side to side at the foot of Bella's bed and then he turned to face her. "I'm leaving," he announced as calmly as he could. Bella's face crumpled but he ignored that and stated simply what he'd rehearsed. "You volunteered to educate me but you left out a vital piece of information, Bella. Your family took me in and then left me in the dark. You might think my family were odd but this one is fucked up." Bella opened her mouth to defend the family but Edward squared his shoulders and leaned toward her slightly, the long drawn out hiss that escaped his lips told her to be quiet without him needing to speak the words. "I'm going to my own home. I'm an adult and I want an adult relationship with you. That's where I'll be when you're ready to behave like an adult. You're my mate. You'll find me at my home when you're ready to admit to me, and to yourself, that you're my mate."

He spared no more time to take in any details about how she'd reacted to his words, he simply said them and left. He took nothing with him. He didn't go into his own room and he didn't look back. He walked out of Bella's room, down the stairs and straight back out the front door the way he'd come. He ignored his car in the drive. He ignored the three cell phones on the passenger seat and he ignored his own, still in its holder on the dash. He'd gone to the Cullen house and he'd said what he'd wanted to say. He was leaving and he was going back to his own home and if she followed they'd have it out. If she didn't follow he'd have his answer. She was either willing to take responsibility for her actions or she wasn't. She was either big enough to admit that they were mates or she wasn't. It was out of his control and he was out of control.

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**A/N: Well, Edward's had enough and he's a tad pissed. Tee hee. **

**I do love a pissed off Edward, as you all know. **

**Thanks for reading, **

**Please review. **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: There was no place to leave this one, so here it is, all 12K words of it. Enjoy :)**

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Left standing in her room, again, Bella began to shiver. Desire, dread and shock began to flood her system, making her shake as she lowered herself to the sofa. "Oh god," she whimpered as the other Cullen's came running. He was so angry and he knew they were mates.

"What the hell was that?" Alice screeched at the same time that Emmett began whooping and catcalling.

Bella turned her head so that she could address the entire group once they'd filtered into her room. "That was my mate declaring himself," she said far more calmly than she felt. "Now get out," she hissed.

"Bella darling," Esme pled but Bella was in no mood to play happy families.

"Get out!" she bellowed as she came to her feet. "Get out. You've done enough!"

Esme was the first to flee, Alice hot on her heels. The boys took half a second longer and their faces echoed the anguish they felt as they did as they were told. It was Rose who left last but not before whispering a soft 'I'm sorry' as she closed the door behind her.

Bella kicked her backpack so hard it ricocheted off two walls before coming to rest on top of her bedside cabinet with a crash. She was going to miss that lamp she thought as she retrieved the bag by its shoulder strap. Tearing open its zipper she stood it on its end on her desk and stared at the contents.

His clothes on top of hers. Two toothbrushes and a hairbrush. She'd thought that everything was going to be so simple and she'd been so very, very wrong. She'd imagined taking Edward by the hand and running. She imagined checking into a cabin out in the National Park. She'd imagined lying in a bed with him, stroking his hair and his face while she explained that she was his mate. She'd imagined him taking her into his arms and slowly learning about each other's bodies. She could almost smell his aroused scent as she stood there staring at the backpacks contents.

Somehow Edward had learned for himself that they were mates. Somehow he'd worked out what it meant and he was right. It should've come from her. It should've been one of the family who told him at the very least. And he was right. She'd behaved like a child.

There was one thing Edward had been wrong about though. His family hadn't been odd at all. His parents had made sure that he knew they loved him. They'd protected him and had always done their best to make sure he had what he needed. As a family the Cullen's had let him down and Bella had to take her share of the blame for that. Edward had spent his human life knowing he was loved and accepted and since becoming a vampire Bella had done everything she could to keep him unaware that she loved him too. She'd been mean and she was sure he'd never felt accepted by her. And that was because she'd never told him he was. As he was. However he wanted to be she loved and accepted him. It was just that he didn't know that because she'd never told him.

But love him she did. And her family were right. She'd known she loved him for weeks but it wasn't until the cousins came that she'd admitted it. It wasn't until she was faced with the idea that he might not feel the same that she acknowledged it. It wasn't until he'd said he was leaving that her priorities took the correct order in her mind.

She was a Cullen second only to the fact that she was Edward Masen Junior's mate. That had to be the natural order to her life now. Edward had to come first, the family second. He was her mate. She was his mate. The family loved them both, she knew that for the truth that it was, and however they'd gone about things they meant well. She didn't like that, and neither did Edward obviously. But as much as the family had let them both down by inviting trouble she'd let him down too and she had to face the consequences of that, however he chose to deliver them.

But she loved him. It came down to that. Whatever his reaction she'd accept it because she deserved it. She'd thought him boring at the beginning but he'd grown into a man over the weeks since his change. She'd grown into a woman and was ready to try and prove it to him. She loved him and she wanted him and life without him in it wasn't worth it.

There was no point to forever without him.

She couldn't go back to being alone now that she loved him. She couldn't go back to just going through the daily motions because she loved him now. She'd never feel settled ever again if they weren't together because she loved him.

She'd pushed him away because she wanted her freedom but she knew now, faced with his exit from her life, that she'd never truly been free. Her fear had held her captive more firmly than any chains would have. Love had set her free. She'd been afraid for nothing and she'd missed out on so much because of it.

Bella took nothing with her. She left the backpack, her cell, wallet and keys right where they were on her desk and she simply walked out onto the landing, down the stairs and out the front door. She walked out onto the road and turned left to go into the forest. There was no hurry; he'd made himself perfectly clear. He was going to his home and that's where he'd be when she was ready.

She _was_ ready. He only had a ten minute head start on her so she ignored her brains insistence that she run, as fast as she could, and jogged instead. It wasn't a leisurely jog though. It was more a conscious effort to go slowly. Her muscles strained and her tendons ached as she curbed the desire to fly along the paths.

She wanted Edward to have the chance to calm himself down a little before she approached his home. She wanted the chance to get straight in her own head what she wanted to say.

However it had come about Edward knew about mates and he knew that she was his. Whether one of the sisters had told him, or he'd worked it out for himself didn't matter. Not in the long run anyway. He knew and he had declared himself. Very firmly too.

He wasn't the shy, nerdy needy boy she'd first met any longer. She didn't know if he was still fainting after the hunt but if he was he was handling it. He was handling everything. She might have been a vampire longer than him but he was handling his change far better than she had. It had been Bella who'd berated him for not taking the extraordinary chance he'd been given but she knew now that it was her who was wasting it, not Edward. He'd embraced what he was. He'd come to see it for the gift it was and he was willing to make the best of it. Up until the point he'd stood in front of her and told her he was leaving Bella knew she had wasted her gift.

Being alone wasn't something to fight for any longer. Being with Edward was. And she was determined to fight for it, rather than against it now.

Edward had known to fight for it right from the off and Bella could now make sense of everything he'd done and said since meeting him. He hadn't understood his feelings but he'd owned them while she'd fought them. He'd had no idea that they were mates but he hadn't shied away from that, he'd fought for it. He'd pushed her and had been patient with her because he wanted it.

Bella had decided that he was weak five seconds after meeting him and she'd been wrong. He wasn't weak at all. He'd just never had anything to fight for before. Bella hadn't either. But when faced with it she'd hidden, he'd fought.

He'd stood up for himself whenever he could and he'd taken charge of every aspect of his life. He'd learnt to hunt. He was refurbishing the store and he had the money to do it. He'd bought a car and he'd changed his image. He still had the glasses but she assumed that they were just plain glass. He still hid behind his curtain of hair but not with her or the family, only with the sisters. He asked questions and really listened to the answers. He'd joined in every idiotic game and had played along with every suggestion the family had made and if she left aside his reluctance to participate since the sisters had arrived she could see that he'd become a Cullen quite easily.

Edward had accomplished in a few short weeks what it had taken Bella two years to achieve. Bella had taken months to come to terms with the gift Esme had given her, months to even begin to let her human life go and years to find some peace of mind. In comparison Edward was much stronger than she'd ever been.

Edward had never been weak she thought as she jogged along Spruce Drive. She'd wanted to see him that way to make her own choices more palatable for herself. She'd needed to see him that way so that she could justify hiding her desire for him. It was Bella herself who'd failed to see him for what he was.

Edward wasn't boring and he never had been. He just liked different things to her. Before she met him she imagined her mate would like the things she did. She'd never considered that he wouldn't. She'd looked upon Edward and his life as somehow unworthy of her love and attention because it wasn't the way she lived. But he wasn't unworthy, she was.

He was rarely still these days. When he wasn't working on the plans for the store he was with the boys. He still hunted frequently and she knew he enjoyed the running before and after. He went out of the house as soon as the other pairs retired to their rooms and he always came back smelling of the forest with leaves and dirt on his clothes. He ran for pleasure, just like she did. But he hadn't been idle. Not like she had.

She'd hidden away in her room and ignored the world and her feelings. But worst of all she'd hidden from her mate. Coming clean about how she felt was always going to be hard but by ignoring them she'd missed out on growing with Edward as he adjusted to his change. She'd missed his hunts and she'd missed the chance to build the store with him.

He'd held himself open to her from the second they'd met. He'd never hidden the parts of himself that were frightening to him. In fact he'd admitted his fears and what he saw as his weaknesses every step of the way. It had been Bella who'd hidden.

And Bella had had enough of hiding. There was no point to it because everyone around her saw through it. Edward had and so had the family.

Edward had said he was leaving but he wasn't running away from something, he was running towards something. He wanted an adult relationship with her. And in his own way he'd just offered her the same thing she'd been prepared to offer him. A quiet place to talk it all through.

It wasn't until then, that tiny moment in her long life as she ran towards his family home, that Bella knew what her purpose as a human being was. It was to be Edward's. She was but one half of a bigger whole. Nothing else mattered anymore. Not school, not work, not money and definitely not how hard she'd worked to protect her solitude. Until she'd heard him say he was leaving Bella thought she could cope with being alone. When faced with the reality of it she admitted to herself that that was impossible. She could never be happy if Edward wasn't near.

She even found the sight of his house comforting as it came into view. She knew it so well now. The scuff of missing paint on the fence that had matched the scrape on the front fender of the family car. The white shutters on the front windows and the brown ones at the back. Even now that the grass needed cutting it still looked familiar.

As she approached she found that she'd missed this little house and the time she'd spent in it with Eddie. All the things she'd so meanly told him she hated about it were the things she now missed. She loved its odd little hall with the markings on the wall where Agnes had noted Eddie's growth. She missed the whine and hum of the ancient washing machine. She'd found the striped curtains in the bathroom crude before, but now she hoped they were still there. She missed the privacy they'd had and she'd wasted. She missed the quiet in it and she'd missed how peaceful Eddie had seemed within its walls. Even the smell was familiar as she stood on the front porch.

With a trembling hand she rang the bell and held her breath.

As she waited for him to open the door Bella found herself missing Eddie. The real Eddie. Not Edward Cullen, but Eddie Masen Junior.

Edward startled when he heard the bell. He hadn't expected her to come at all - as belligerent as she could sometimes be - let alone come so quickly. He'd only been in the house twenty minutes but its comforting smells and familiar appointments had calmed him some. He'd gone directly to his old bedroom and had sat on the end of his still made bed and had put his head into his hands.

He'd either just blown his future or he'd cemented it. There was no way to tell and as he ran the events of the evening over in his head he came to realise that it didn't much matter. Bella was his mate and that wasn't something that was ever going to change. She'd either accept that or she wouldn't. She'd said only the day before that she was willing to try to have a relationship with him, so that was a small comfort. But Edward was in no doubt that Bella knew and understood the concept of vampire mates and she'd done everything she could to keep that from him and to deny it within herself.

And that scared him.

His own emotions towards her had been frightening and confusing but once he'd thought them through he'd come to embrace them. He wanted them. He wanted to love her. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to touch her and make love with her and he'd never wanted that, ever.

He'd manufactured the chance for them to be alone and have it out and then once he found himself without the family near, and without the sisters infecting his every thought, he began to worry that Bella wouldn't come.

And then the door bell had shattered the silence.

Rising from his bed he sniffed the air. There was no hint who was waiting on his porch but as he moved through the house his hopes began to rise. If it was Bella there was hope he thought as he approached the front door. Opening it, and seeing her there, relief flooded his already overloaded system. The hit of her scent calmed him even though inside he was still just as out of control as he'd been as he'd fronted her at the Cullen house. But his features were less grim than they'd been before as he opened the door to her and ushered her inside.

Bella had forgotten that the house had been emptied. She'd forgotten that his whole human life had been wiped out and the house cleaned of any trace of him so as she moved to the centre of the living room she looked about, quite startled.

The furniture she'd found stuffy and old fashioned was gone and she missed it. The pictures of a boyhood Eddie were gone from the walls but the faded patches where they'd been taunted her as she turned in a brief circle in the middle of what she now knew had been his very happy, very content life before her.

Without needing to check Bella knew there was nothing in the house except for what he'd left behind in his bedroom. He'd arrived at the Cullen house with one box and no others had been delivered so she knew that his personal things were all still in his room. That wasn't a comfort as she stared at him. He might have come to the Cullen's with what seemed relative ease, but his life was here, not with them. He fit here. He always had. He'd needed to leave while he came to terms with what he was, but now that he had she could see that he fit in the Masen house.

Here was where she'd met the real Edward. He'd been Eddie to her then and in some ways he still was and always would be. But the angry, hurt man who stood before her wasn't Eddie. He was Edward and he was a vampire. Her vampire.

There was no furniture in any other room and no electricity. There was no running water and no gas. Once they were both standing in the dark living room there was nowhere to sit even though neither of them needed to. There was nothing to look at because everything was gone and every surface was empty. There were no sounds because neither of them breathed and there were no background noises.

"Why are you here?" Edward growled, breaking the silence as he prowled the edges of his living room.

Turning as Edward circled her Bella squared her shoulders and told him the truth. "Because I'm your mate," she said firmly. "You told me not to come unless I was willing to admit that to myself and to you. Here I am. Admitting it. You're my mate." There would be no more lies, no more hiding and no more hedging from her. He'd been quite clear what he wanted from her and he'd been clear in what he needed too. He didn't need her to come to him until she was ready to behave like an adult and he didn't want her there if she wasn't ready to admit she was his mate. "You are my mate," she told him again. "I'm here because I'm your mate and we belong together."

Eyes wide and glowing with his anger Edward rushed towards her. Gripping her by the shoulders firmly he hissed, "You are my mate and I'm the last one to know!"

Startled but not frightened – Bella had known he was angry before she came, and she'd known he was likely to react either violently or at the very least aggressively – tried to remain calm as she spoke. "I know, I let you down. We all did. I'm sorry for that. I should've told you long before now," Bella told him regretfully.

And Edward could see the regret on her face but it was cold comfort in the light of his pain. Letting her go he began to pace before her. With his thoughts in disarray he stopped pacing lines and switched to circling her as though she was prey. With Bella turning in a slow circle on the spot he paced round and round her trying to decide how best to tackle the issue. He began softly, making an already nervous Bella wary, "Yes, you should have told me. You made it clear to me that I'd only learn about what I was by being with other vampires. It was you who told me that I couldn't stay here on my own because ignorance was dangerous. So I left my home to go and live with _your_ family so I could learn to be a vampire, but that didn't really get me anywhere, did it? You kept from me some very important details, Bella. Why?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Keeping a casual eye on his fisted hands by his sides in her periphery Bella continued the tight circle she was making inside his larger one. "Any one of the others could've told you," she defended carefully.

Immediately diverting from the circuit he was making Edward rushed to the wall by the windows and smashed his fist into the plaster so hard he hit the joist beneath it. Bella cringed as he withdrew his hand and a fine mist of dust began to float around him. "Not fucking good enough," he raged as he came towards her again. "I don't want to talk about the others," he bellowed. "I'll deal with them later. I want to talk about you," he said less than calmly. The effort he was using to keep in control of his anger wasn't lost to Bella as she watched the chords in his neck distend. "If I was someone else's mate that might suffice," he hissed. "But I'm not someone else's mate, I'm yours. You took responsibility for me the day you made the agreement with your father. You should've told me vampires take mates at the beginning. You were there when I was introduced to your family, all paired up like you said, but you should've told me they were more than spouses!"

Reminding herself that there was no longer any room for lies Bella took a deep hit of his angry scent and allowed it to swirl through her system before replying. "You're right. I should have. I'll take responsibility for that."

"Damn right," Edward hissed before attempting to check his anger. It was futile by that point though. It had felt good to smash his hand into the wall. The release of a tiny pinprick of his rage had felt good, but it quickly returned as he rounded on Bella. "You had ample opportunities. I gave you so many openings, dropped so many hints about the way I was feeling. I all but told you that day in Port Angeles that I loved you," he accused. "And then in the forest during that ridiculous game, you could've told me then. I had my fucking tongue in your mouth for fucks sake! You didn't think you should tell me before you let me do that? There were so many times over the past few days _at least_ where you could've used the word mate to start the discussion." He hadn't posed that as a question so Bella simply maintained eye contact with him as they stayed in orbit around one another. "When did you know?" he asked suddenly.

"At the beach," Bella whispered, understanding the question immediately. And again there could be no lies between them now. She wanted him and lying to him wouldn't get her what she wanted. Trying hard not to raise his stress or his ire any higher than it already was Bella used as clear a voice as she could to complete her answer. "The first time we went to the beach," she added. "I wanted you before then, but that day, watching you as you came out of the water, and then thinking about you on the run home, I knew then."

Licking his bottom lip Edward thought about that day. Her reaction and the way she'd ditched him had made sense to him long before now, but she was using language that didn't fit. "Want is a very vague word, Bella," he goaded. "I didn't ask when you first _wanted_ me; I asked when you first knew I was your mate."

Trying to remain calm despite the scent of his venom floating in the air Bella tried to remember that she was the one in the wrong as she answered. His accusations were correct, she had had plenty of opportunity to tell him about mates, and that she was his, and she'd wasted them through fear. His anger was deserved and with that in mind Bella decided to just lay all her cards on the table. Circling each other as they were – both physically and verbally – could go on all night and they might never come to any suitable conclusion. It was time to just have it out.

Stopping all movement Bella breathed him in deeply, licked her lips to moisten them and let week's worth of emotional turmoil slip from between them. "I knew you were my mate on the run home from the beach the first time. I knew then because when you came to the house angry and left angry I thought I'd never see you again and I felt sick because of it. I wanted you before that though. Your first hunt I knew I wanted you. I wanted to make love to you and I wanted you to touch me and I wanted to touch you, but I knew you were my mate when you left and I didn't think you were going to return." That stopped Edward's pacing for just a split second but it was enough to give Bella the confidence she needed to continue. He was rattled by her admissions and it was the eye of the storm Bella needed to be totally honest. She ignored the anguished look on his face and kept going. "At first I thought it was just desire. I thought that the way you made me ache was just about sex. I wanted to fuck you, alright? There, I've said it. I wanted you to fuck me and claim me. I wanted you to throw me on the ground and have me until I couldn't see straight. I thought that if we did that the ache I felt might go away. But then even that scared me. The thought of having you, giving myself to you, and then walking away again made me feel worse."

Turning his dark, tortured eyes to her Edward began to growl. "What are you saying?" he demanded angrily. "You wanted a quick fuck but now you've changed your mind? It's too hard to have a relationship with me, you'd much rather we just fuck, is that it? Or have you decided masturbating in your bathroom is a much better option because you're afraid?"

"No!" Bella shouted without needing to think on it. She'd known he'd heard her getting off in the shower because she'd heard him too. That didn't bother her. She wanted him to know he turned her on, had probably wanted him to know that long before the embarrassment of being overheard subsided. But he had it all wrong. It wasn't about sex and it never really had been. But it was hard to explain none the less. "No, that's not what I'm saying. God, I'm not doing this well. It all sounded so much better in my head," she muttered. "Look, I'm trying to tell you that I love you, alright? At its heart, in my heart, that's what I'm telling you. You're my mate and I should love you because of that. But it's more than that. I fell in love you with you long before I knew you were my mate," she hissed, frustrated. "It's not about sex, it wasn't back then and it's not now. Having sex with you might stop this ache for a little while, but if it means nothing other than physical release I don't even want that. I can do that myself, as you know. I love you, Edward. I want you _because_ I love you."

Stunned at her outburst and at the brutal honesty in her voice Edward's body began to respond. The venom in his mouth thickened and his limbs began to tingle. "You love me?" he asked, astounded and angry. "You say you loved me before you knew you were my mate?" Bella nodded furiously, pleased that she'd said the words out loud to his face after so long only thinking them. "You told me so many times that you were just my sister, that you were only near me because we were brother and sister. And now you tell me you were in love with me the whole god dammed time?" he ranted. Taking two steps toward the kitchen Edward turned and faced her again, eyes flashing and venom coating his lips. "Right at the start you laid right there," he pointed to the linoleum floor, "and told me you didn't like me," Edward croaked. "Over and over you turned me down. You avoided being near me. You didn't speak to me unless you had to. You ignored me and you denied me your attention time and time again. And now you expect me to believe that you did all that because you loved me?" Even as he said it Bella had to admit it sounded bad. He was right in everything that he said, his accusations were one hundred percent correct, and yet he was wrong. She did love him, right back at the start even, but it only made sense in her own head. Edward, not waiting for a response, marched right back to her. "You told me you didn't even like me," he drawled with a sneer.

Sighing heavily Bella realised that they'd come so far and yet hadn't really moved beyond the starting block. "I did, but so did you," she accused right back. "You scared me. I can't explain it any other way. Everything about you scared me. The way you looked, the way you made me feel, watching you hunt and knowing you needed me. It all scared the living crap out of me. I've never needed anyone, Edward. Nobody's ever needed me before. I've never wanted anyone to share anything of mine and when you asked me to share the refurbishment of the store with you I panicked because I wanted what you were offering. I really did. But I was afraid of it because it meant giving up a part of me to take on a part of you."

"There is nothing about me that's scary," Edward sighed, astonished that she could feel that way. "I'm boring. I read too much. You hate my boring music. You've said that all along. You hated my clothes. You hated this house. And even after you said you'd try to make a go of it with me you didn't want to share anything."

"And what have you shared?" Bella shouted far too loudly, her defences rising after being lectured. "Really, what have you shared with me? A tiny little sliver of a bookstore? You never mentioned a piece of _you_. You offered me nothing solid either, Edward."

"I offered you everything!" Edward boomed. Pointing directly at her chest he took a small step forward and with eyes blazing his anger he told her exactly what he'd offered her. "I offered you myself. I offered you the chance to share the store with me so we could build it into something great, something we could be proud of. It's the only thing I had left that held any value. It was the only thing I could offer you by way of a future. I offered you insight into my life and what I was really like. You had the chance to see for yourself what and who I was but you chose to hide from me. You locked yourself away for weeks and didn't come out of that fucking bedroom," he roared, making her flinch. "And then, when whatever you had stuck up your ass worked its way free, you came out only to tease me, or taunt me. The only true piece of yourself you've ever given to me is when I'm at my lowest. When the bottom falls out of my world you come running and you made me want that! God damn you woman, you made me crave that! All the sniping and the bullshit you hid behind I could see through. All that I could put aside because I saw the real you when you thought I needed you," he spat at her. "But you couldn't give that me long term could you? The instant my panic or my pain subsided you went right back to being the bitch you wanted me to see. You never shared a true part of yourself with me voluntarily so don't you dare tell me I offered you nothing solid. All I got from you was lies and grief!" Raking his hand through his hair after wiping the spittle of venom from his lips Edward began to pace again. With his furious eyes boring into hers he rounded on her and advanced until she was only a foot from the mantle where his family's pictures used to stand. Towering over her, his venom flowing freely from his lips and with Bella bent slightly backwards Edward began to list how he saw the situation. "I never lied to you and I never withheld information," he marked off on his fingers. "I never hid from you and I never pretended to be something I'm not. I was frightened and confused when I woke and you used that to torment me because you couldn't deal with your feelings. That's weak and pathetic and you don't deserve the love I feel for you!" he raged.

Bella, panicked though she was that he might resort to violence and scared at the thought of having to defend herself from her own mate if he got any closer, smiled the smile of the clinically insane. "You love me?" she asked through pursed lips. When he nodded she smiled a little wider. "As mean as I've been to you, as childish and as reluctant as I've been to share my life with you, you love me anyway?" she asked, incredulously.

"Of course I fucking do," Edward seethed. "Do you think I'd have fought this fucking hard, all this time, if I didn't? Do you think I'd have stuck around to be insulted by you, ignored by you, and teased by you if I didn't? Do you think I would've tried to see past all that if I didn't love you? Do you think I'd have gotten rid of those fucking tarts if I didn't?" he shouted, pointing toward the forest.

"Oh god," Bella gasped. "What did you do to them?"

"I drove them out into the forest, took their cells off them and left them there with a warning not to return till morning, but that's not important. Answer the question. Do you think I'd have done all that if I didn't love you?"

Shaking her head Bella smiled again, the weight of worry for the horrible sisters forgotten by his assurance that they were at least alive enough for her to kill them herself later if she wanted to. "Do you love me because you have to as my mate, or because you like me as a person?" she asked cautiously as Edward backed away a little. If he loved her even after the way she'd behaved they might have a chance. But if it was just because he knew they were mates, well, she'd deal with that if it arose.

Sighing heavily Edward turned his back to her and walked back to the centre of the room. The few seconds it took he used to think carefully about his answer. They'd just admitted to one another how they felt, and whilst that felt amazing, to know that she loved him, it was only one of many hurdles. Turning to face her once again Edward grinned. "I can prove it," he told her. He gave his watch a brief look, "Until five hours ago I didn't have any idea what a mate was. I still don't, really. I don't think I care anymore about the specifics. I just know that everything about you drew me in. At first it was just your scent and your smile. But it became so much more so fast. Your ass in yoga pants drove me insane. Your voice, god, when you hiss Bella. Your eyes when you're angry. Fuck it, your eyes when you're horny. The way you jiggle your house keys, the way you put on and take off your shoes in a definitive order. The way you line your books up. Your handwriting, how fucked up is that? The loops on top of your 'I's' when you write I find adorable. How you look at your mother. The ridiculous music you sing along to, badly, oh so badly. How you speak to your father. Fresh from the shower your scent cripples me. The way you slide onto a kitchen stool. The feel of your hand in mine. The taste of your venom on my tongue. Your hard nipple in my palm. Random shit, I know. But they're things I love about you and have done almost from the start. Jesus Christ Bella, I loved you before I even knew what love was," he told her. "You made me love you by just being you and if I love you despite the way you've treated me all this time then..." he trailed off. The pain on his face was so acute Bella was compelled to reach for him. Edward snapped his eyes to where her hand was held out between them. "You do that so freely, so easily," he told her as she withdrew her shaking hand. "You reach out to me only when you think I need you. Do you ever need me?" he croaked, his throat thick with not just emotion but thick with venom too.

Bella stepped forward then. There was no hesitation as she put her hand to his forearm. With eyes cast down she whispered softly and slowly, "At first I did it to comfort you," she admitted, then lifting her chin to stare into his crimson ringed eyes she continued, "but now I do it for me. Because I need the comfort touching you brings me. I've never needed anyone. But I do need you, Edward."

As she lowered her eyes to where their skin was joined once again Edward smiled over the crown of her head. She couldn't have said anything more perfectly. There was almost nothing he could hear from her that would make him as happy. She'd told him she loved him. She'd put voice to them being mates and she sought comfort from touching him. It's all he'd ever wanted to know and all he'd ever wanted to hear. All the games could be forgotten now. All the lies and the hurt he could let go of. Leaning forward slightly Edward kissed the top of Bella's head gently. "I am in love with you and I am your mate. I've never been in love before and I know you know that. You are my first and I don't need to be told the rules of mates to know that you'll be my last."

Mirroring his smile as she looked at the point at which their flesh united Bella sighed in relief. "I am so in love with you and I am your mate," she echoed. "Without the rules of mates I can tell you honestly that I'll love no other. You're it for me too."

Declarations done Edward happily shoved to the back of his mind everything that had gotten them to this point. He'd had his say, she'd had hers. There was still the family, and the sisters, to deal with. But that could wait. He'd forgive her her fear. He could let everything else go because he was in love with Bella and she was in love with him.

Through no fault of his own he'd risen a vampire, been given a second chance at life and had been presented with a future.

There was much to discuss, plans to be made and still many things for him to learn but he knew that Bella was that future. He'd known it for some time but until she'd confirmed that it's what she wanted too he'd not dared to hope. Now hope flooded his system and made him want more. Never a greedy man Edward settled for a long, lingering kiss with his mate.

Sliding his hand between them and using the point of his index finger to lift her face to his he wasted no time claiming her lips. With venom coated lips Bella pressed herself up against him and savoured the feeling of being enveloped by his scent. His tongue was insistent and they both poured all the feeling they could into the tentative union.

Not wanting to tamper with the beauty of the kiss Edward shifted as minutely as possible in order to wrap her fully in his arms. Holding her tight up against him he hoped she couldn't feel his erection.

Hoping he'd hold her close so she could rub his erection Bella tried to shuffle her feet and make it happen. Edward, groaning against her tongue stepped away with his lower half. Bella, sensing his hesitancy inched forward.

"Please Bella," Edward begged as she pushed, using her upper body as well, until they were full up against one another. Believing he was begging for touch Bella pushed harder, but Edward needing to keep his lower half away from hers stepped back as she stepped forward. It was an awkward dance, made harder by their joined mouths. When his back hit the wall beside the hall Edward began to panic. Bella, thinking she had him right where she wanted him, groaned into his mouth as she shoved herself at him. But Edward wasn't begging for more. He was nervous and excited and rushed. He'd had a mental image of how their union should go, and this wasn't it. "No," he whispered, withdrawing his lips from hers.

"Yes," she growled as he tried to step out of the embrace altogether. Standing on her toes she kissed him roughly, drawing his lips back to hers by using her hands to hold his head. Forcing her tongue back into his mouth Bella held him fast. Twisting to break her grip Edward shoved her away only to be gripped by the back of his neck and pulled hard up against her once again. "Yes," she hissed fiercely before taking a hank of his hair between her fingers and pulling his mouth back to hers.

Believing his hesitance was out of a false need to protect her virtue Bella ignored Edward's attempts to break the embrace and squared her shoulders, pinning his body to the wall with hers pressed hard up against it. Hooking her ankle around his calf she locked them together as the kiss played out.

Losing himself in the desire that flooded his system Edward kissed her back, finally. He forced her mouth open with his tongue and then swiped it across hers. Bella moaned long and deep as their venom combined.

His libido had been dormant for all his adult life and even though he'd indulged his need for release manually for weeks his need to claim his mate overtook his thought processes. He wasn't to know, but a vampires need to mark, to claim and to bite his mate was instinctual. The need to be claimed, marked and bitten in return was desperate.

His fantasy that their eventual union would be a soft, sensual affair was gone. The idea that they'd lie down on a bed strewn with bright white linens and bask in the glory of each other's bodies was shattered as Edward's vampiric nature took a hold of his brain. Power, strength and desperation flooded his already overly emotional system and turned Edward into a growling, hissing mass of desire.

With his mind made up for him by Bella's insistence that they finish what had been started Edward slipped his hands to Bella's shoulders and shoved her away just enough so that he could shift to his side, draw her in front of himself, and propel her into the position he'd just been in himself. The plaster at her shoulders gave just a little as Edward covered her body with his. He might never have done this before but his body knew what to do. His brain knew how to imprison her, his body knew to cover hers and his need coursed through his body as quickly as the venom that changed him had. Slamming his hands onto the wall by her head he thrust his erection towards her, into her belly, and ground himself hard up against her. Friction was his only thought. He needed friction. He needed relief from the ache in his balls he'd had almost from the time he'd met her.

Bella, flooded with a heady mixture of relief that he'd forgiven her and wanton desire pushed her hips forward and up into his straining length. Waiting for his groan, and moaning herself once it had left his throat, Bella stood on her toes. Biting down on his lower lip and waited for his reaction. Balling his fists and crunching them into the already damaged plaster behind her head Edward grunted roughly into her waiting mouth. Buoyed by his responses Bella slipped her leg between his and pushed upward, slightly, and applied gentle pressure beneath his balls.

"Fuck," Edward growled as the long, hard expanse of her thigh pressed hard up against him. Breathing heavily into her throat even though he had no use for the oxygen that was entering his lungs Edward closed his eyes and tried to come to terms with what they were doing.

"Suck," Bella begged as his lips made contact with her shoulder. "Harder," she begged again when he applied nowhere near enough pressure. Holding him by the scruff of his neck Bella tugged until she felt the sting of his venom on her skin. "Yesss," she hissed through gritted teeth when he found a happy medium force.

"You taste divine," Edward growled against the flesh at his lips.

Maintaining the pressure against his balls with her thigh Bella pressed her breasts into his chest and arched her neck so he had full access to her throat. "Bite," she whimpered, desperate to feel her mates teeth in her flesh. Terrified of hurting her Edward balked and stilled his lips against her throat and ran a line of kisses up to the soft hollow beneath her ear. Bella, thinking he hadn't heard, asked him to bite her again and again, but Edward continued leaving soft, lingering kisses on the column of her neck instead. Frustrated Bella used the fistful of hair she held to pull his face away enough so that she could look into his eyes. "Bite," she told him but he was already shaking his head before she could give the instruction. "Yes," she told him firmly. "We're vampires, Edward, we bite. It's what we do," she assured him though she had no firsthand experience with it herself.

She'd seen the marks on her sisters and mothers bodies, and sometimes on the guys bodies too, so she knew it was normal to want and to give the bites. She'd never thought she'd want it herself, but now it's all she could think of.

But Edward wasn't reassured. In fact Edward's anger had just slapped him upside his head. Returning his lips to her ear he began to growl. "How do you know?" he asked but didn't wait for an answer. Taking a handful of her hair into his fist he wound it around and around until her head was tilted so far back he could see the veins in her neck straining. "Is this another of your lies?" he hissed. "You told me you'd never been with anyone since your change."

Bella, panicked, let her thigh drop and put her foot back onto the floor. "I haven't, I swear it to you. I haven't been with anyone since I was changed."

Licking his lips to rid himself of her taste and his excess venom Edward scowled down at her. Fully in control of his anger but not sure if he could trust her he felt she owed him an explanation. "Tell me how you know about the biting," he demanded.

Squeezing her thighs together in frustration that her release was being denied her Bella let go of her panic and let the arousal she felt at his forcefulness wash through her. He had no idea what he was feeling and Bella knew it. But this was what mates did. They made sure their opposite numbers were on the level. The males took control and the females acquiesced. It was the natural order of things and if Bella had been asked only a week ago whether she'd be turned on by being supplicant to her mate she'd have scoffed. But now, with her hair wound around his hand and him bearing down on her, eyes glowing with his need to be sure of her, Bella was experiencing the first tingles of ecstasy at the hands of her mate.

"Alice and Rose," Bella whispered, allowing her venom to wash across her lips and right into his face. "They're covered in them. It's natural, Edward. I swear it is."

Relieved but not wholly convinced Edward drew in the scent of her venom in through his nose. "I've never seen bite marks," he remarked.

Bella grinned. She couldn't help it. "The boys don't leave marks in visible places," she told him with wide eyes and waited until his brain understood what she was saying. "If you bite me you'll leave a silvery welt, but it will fade in a few days, honest."

"I don't want to hurt you," Edward told her truthfully.

"It won't hurt," she replied hastily, "it'll sting but it'll be so good," she all but whimpered.

Letting her hair go Edward slumped a little and turned his back to the wall beside her. "I don't want to hurt you, ever," he told her gently. Taking a deep breath he tried to calm himself down. He was lost. This wasn't what he'd pictured and even though he was in agony for wanting her he didn't think he was ready to go through with it. The idea that she wanted him to bite her, that it would sting, didn't feel wrong and that worried him. Sex wasn't something he'd ever wanted or craved as a human and now as a vampire he felt emotionally ill equipped to do right by her. "I can't do this," he told her quietly. Reaching beside himself he took her hand into his and rubbed his thumb over hers. It was for comfort and it was familiar. "I didn't want this to be hurried and with me feeling out of control. Why do I want to bite you? Why do you want to be bitten? Isn't this supposed to be slow and gentle? This isn't supposed to be violent. I wanted it to be special," he told her. "I wanted you to feel cherished and loved. Candles and a decent bed for a start," he sighed. "But this, here, in the dark..." he trailed off, "I don't know what I'm doing. You can't want me like this."

Bella, panting softly and so turned on by his honesty and his words began rubbing his thumb with hers as she tried to make sense of what he was telling her. She knew he wanted her; she had no doubt about that. She knew he loved her and she knew his reluctance was about fear. Fear she could recognise, they were old friends. Taking another second to think on her response Bella turned so that her left shoulder was braced against the wall and she could see his face. He had his eyes closed and he too was panting softly. "Don't be afraid," she whispered. "I know you're frightened and nervous and I am too. This is a big deal, it's your first time ever and I want you to feel comfortable with what we're doing. We can wait, if you want to. But I don't want to. I don't need candles and shit like that that just isn't me, but if that's what you need that's okay. I want this to be right for you. But if you're balking because you think I don't want to, or I don't want to do this here, don't. You're wrong. Anywhere is going to be perfect because it's with you. Any time is going to be wonderful because it's with you."

Opening his eyes Edward stared down at her. She was so beautiful and she knew him so well. He was afraid. She knew he was likely to be afraid whether human or not because this was his first taste of sexual desire. His lust for her had manifested itself as dominance and he didn't know how to control that. He wanted to bite her. He wanted to mark her. He wanted to see silvery welts on her body and he hated himself for that. "I don't want to hurt you," he said simply as he raised his free hand and began to rub his thumb over the apple of her cheek. "Why do I feel so aggressive all the time? Why do I want to throw you on the ground whether you want me to or not? Why do I _want_ to bite you?" he asked softly.

"Because you're my mate," Bella told him simply as she stared up into his eyes. "Aggression is a normal part of what you are. Plus you're male, that makes you extra aggressive because you want to protect me, you want me safe. You're the dominant force in our relationship and that's perfectly normal. In its basic form we're more like animals when we love than we are humans. It's normal to want to dominate me. It's normal that I want you to. That's who and what we are, Edward. You want to throw me on the ground because you need to claim me as your own. Its natural and you want to bite me because you'll enjoy it and so will I," she explained carefully. Not for the first time Bella mentally kicked herself from having hid all this information from him. This was fundamental stuff and someone should've told him. If not her then one of the others. It wasn't fair to him that he felt out of control emotionally when a simple explanation could've eased his mind. "I know you run at night, when the others go to their suites to be alone, but you must have heard them at least once, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," Edward sighed as he shifted his thumb from her cheek to the corner of her mouth. He strummed it across her lip and watched fascinated as she peeked her tongue just slightly out and licked the tip of his thumb.

"They aren't quiet, are they?" Bella asked as he stroked her lip again. Edward never took his eyes off her mouth but did nod his head. "They aren't gentle and they aren't careful either," she told him matter of factly. "Carlisle seems gentle and controlled to you, right?" she asked.

Unable to help himself Edward leaned toward her and swiped his tongue across her top lip. With her venom once again on his tongue he moaned lowly before answering. "He does," he told her honestly. "He doesn't seem to ever lose his temper."

Watching his tongue taste her venom off his lips made Bella fairly swoon. They might have been having a very serious discussion but they were also in the throes of foreplay and Edward didn't even realise it for himself. He was as unable to ignore his arousal, as she was. Their need for each other was desperate. Bringing her own free hand up between them Bella put her index finger to his lips, waited until he'd parted them, and then slid it between them. He sucked gently and Bella had to once again press her thighs together such was the height of her arousal. "He does lose his temper, as often as we do, trust me. But as calm as he seems to us he's rough with Esme when they're alone. Not to hurt her, but to claim her. The boys do it too. It's part of who they are. Alice and Jasper have been together for over a century and every night he reclaims her, Edward."

"I want to claim you," Edward blurted out before he could curb the errant thought.

"I need you to," Bella agreed as she stared at his mouth. "It's normal," she added to soothe him. He blinked just once and licked his bottom lip, turning her belly to jelly.

Staring at her Edward returned his thumb to her lip and hissed as she bit down on it instead of licking. "I feel so violent all the time," he moaned as she swiped her tongue over the tip of his thumb allowing her venom to coat it. "When I'm near you and I smell your scent change, I feel so violent."

"It's normal," she assured him when he removed his thumb. Letting his hand go from her grasp she put it to his chest and leaned a little closer. "I feel it too," she told him. "You won't hurt me."

Shaking his head to show her that he didn't want to hurt her Edward lowered his mouth to hers. He didn't wait for her permission or for her to part her lips and accept his tongue; he just shoved it inside her. Pulling her to him using his hands he thrust his erection at her. Knowing it was normal, that he should be feeling the way he was, set him free. Knowing it's what she wanted from him relaxed him despite the desperation he was feeling.

Bella, for her part, relaxed too. Her body didn't, but her mind did. She'd explained what he was feeling as best she could without any personal experience of the phenomenon. She'd heard the pairs within her family night after night for fourteen years and at the time she'd resented having to be privy to their physical couplings. Now she felt relieved. Without ever having realised it they'd taught her what a mate should want.

Gripping her about her waist Edward lifted her from the floor and pushed her back and shoulders up against the wall. Plaster dust flew into the air as he held her up. "Open your legs," he growled before returning his lips to hers. Wrapping them around his waist Bella did as instructed and as his marble hard length seated itself at her core she moaned deeply into his mouth.

Rocking himself into her Edward began to groan as well. The friction was delicious but it wasn't nearly enough. It heightened rather than eased his ache. It also released her aroused scent from the crotch of her jeans and it made Edward's brain swim. Withdrawing his tongue from her mouth and grinning at her mewl of protest Edward pressed his lips to her throat. He began with soft, gentle kisses but when Bella returned her fingers to the hair at his nape and began to tug rhythmically Edward began to nip at her.

"Harder," Bella begged as she bucked her hips. Edward closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the feeling of her flesh between his teeth. "Bite," Bella begged again. Thrusting himself hard up against her Edward did as he was asked and as his teeth closed over her skin Bella convulsed against him. "Yes, oh yes," she hissed through gritted teeth as her first Edward induced orgasm ripped through her body.

Edward, ignorant to her response, withdrew his teeth with a rush and tried to disentangle them. But Bella wasn't having it. Through hooded eyes she could see the confusion on his face. Panting heavily Bella tried to will the little aftershocks of her release away so she could soothe her mate. "It doesn't hurt," she whispered, huskily. "I swear it doesn't hurt," she moaned when Edward pursed his lips. "I came," she whispered, embarrassed that she had to spell it out for him verbally.

As though there'd be some tangible evidence of it Edward glanced down to where she sat on his hips. But there was nothing to see, of course. Returning his eyes to hers he stared at her for a full minute. Her irises were huge and they were black. "You came," he whispered to himself in disbelief.

Bella only managed to nod her head just once before Edward lowered his mouth back to her collarbone and sank his teeth back into her flesh. The mighty hiss that escaped her lips was wholly involuntary. Wriggling against him, desperate for more contact and another orgasm, Bella began to mewl like a wounded kitten. Loving the feel of her writhing but just as desperate for more Edward bit down just once more before instinct took over and he swiped his venom laden tongue across the mark. The sting of his venom made Bella jerk and made Edward still. Her scent, at the height of her release, stung his mouth and nose as he watched her come apart for him.

Reaching between them Edward pulled her jersey from her body with one swift, sharp tug. Its seams gave easily beneath his nails and as her bare breasts were revealed to him for the first time Edward sucked in a giant gulp of unnecessary oxygen. "Good god," he groaned as he stared at her peaked nipples. "You're so beautiful," he told her, without taking his eyes from his prize. Grinning smugly at Bella's hiss of disapproval he let her waist go and watched as she slid down the wall and got back onto her own feet. Her breasts were firm and pert, the nipples rosy and peaked and he wanted them in his mouth.

Watching him watch her was the most erotic thing Bella had ever seen. His hooded, dark crimson eyes and his pink tongue flicking across his lips as he fought to control his flow of venom made her impossibly hotter despite having just been given two incredible orgasms.

She was about to plead with him to touch her again when he stunned her by falling to his knees. She'd taken his stillness for hesitation but she'd been wrong. He stared at her as long as he had so that he could decide how he wanted her. Now that he knew he wasted no time.

His huge hands stretched about her waist and his fingers dug deliciously into her hips as he dragged her down the wall and to the floor. He'd been serious when he'd told her he wanted to throw her to the ground and take her. With her on her back on the carpet in the empty room Edward had everything he'd ever wanted in his grasp. He took half a second to tell god thank you for rewarding his patience and then he threw his left leg over her hip and slid down her body until he was eye to breast. Licking his lips Bella watched as he lowered his mouth to her nipple for the first time. A strangled hiss forced its way out of her throat as he drew that nipple between his lips and suckled, hard.

Her hands worked their way into his hair and as she tugged and pulled he sucked and chewed. Cautiously at first but as the pressure of Bella's fingers increased – and by extension her moans and groans – Edward found a rhythm of his own. Bite when she tugged suck when she released his hair. With her hips bucking wildly beneath him and with Bella's ripe nipple clenched between his teeth Edward began to moan too.

Closing his eyes and trying to concentrate to stave off his own orgasm Edward attempted to release her breast. Bella, struggling with teetering on the edge of another release herself, protested loudly. Drawing in breath Edward caught the now familiar tinge to her scent and knew it for what it was. Her orgasm was imminent. Ignoring her protests he shifted slightly and took the other breast into his hand and its nipple into his mouth. All thought for his own release forgotten Edward gave her hers.

Setting another punishing rhythm with his teeth, and squeezing in contrast with his hand, Edward drove Bella to the precipice. "More," Bella begged as she tried in vain to let herself fall over it. "More," she begged again as he swiped his venom across his bite mark. "Yes," she roared as the waves began to crash through her whole body.

Success was a two pronged idiom as far as Edward was concerned as he watched his love pant through her third release. He felt powerful and proud that he'd given it to her and stunned and concerned as he did his best to deny his own.

His balls were on fire. His chest and gut ached with need. The muscles at his thighs and calves burned with the restraint and his mouth and lips were coated with a veritable lake of venom.

His restraint was etched into his features and when Bella had crested the final wave and returned her eyes to his she saw it for what it was. It was both stunning and arousing. But it was also unfair. She could lie there beneath him for days on end and take all he wanted to give to her but she needed, no, she craved giving to him too. Staring into his eyes she swiped a hand across her lips to rid herself of her own excess venom and then purred, "Claim me, mate."

It was both challenge and invitation and the words reverberated around Edward's brain. She was his. She'd given herself to him. He'd waited his whole life and his wait was now over. He had a mate. He had a lover. He had a partner and he wanted her, all of her.

Bella watched the emotions flit across his face as he took twenty seconds to digest what she'd said. For the rest of her life she would remember the exact second he reconciled who and what he was, and what she was to him. It was all there, on his beautiful face. Love, desire, desperation and dominance.

Edward slid downwards and destroyed Bella's jeans. They too came apart easily under the power of his nails. He threw them aside and spared no thought to the beauty of her simple lingerie. They too met their end and joined her pants five feet away. The wash of her exposed scent made Edward's head spin. The sight of her beneath him, wet and wanting, made his body shiver.

There would be time enough later to explore her he thought as he stared.

Sitting on his heels he used one hand to divest himself of his shirt and his other hand to obliterate his own jeans. Down to his boxers Edward stared down at his mate again. She was glorious and she was his. "Mine," he hissed involuntarily as he shredded his boxers. "You are mine," he growled as he put a hand to each of her knees and pushed them to the side. "Mine," he barked hoarsely as he lowered himself towards her and as he entered her for the very first time he roared so loudly the windows shook.

For all their circling and all the foreplay Bella was unprepared for the feeling of having him inside her. The fullness of his size, the deliciously heavy weight of his body covering hers and the scent of his desire swamped her. A bellow just as loud as his roar forced its way out of her throat as he seated himself fully, right up inside her.

Edward, thinking he'd hurt her, stilled.

"NO!" Bella shouted, panicked that he'd stop as he tried to withdraw. "Mine," she hissed into his ear as she clasped her hands about his back and held him firmly in place.

As the word left her lips Edward's brain took over. She'd given her permission. They'd pledged themselves to one another. Digging is nails into the carpet by her shoulders and using his toes for traction Edward began to thrust.

His movements were uncoordinated and he gave no thought to finesse, but to Bella that only heightened how important this was. She was his first, she'd be his last. Bucking her hips to meet each plunge Bella did her best to maintain eye contact as she fell over the edge one more time.

The shriek of the carpeting giving way beneath them was ignored as Edward watched his mate orgasm with him inside her. The protest of the timber flooring beneath it was set aside as Edward stroked her with abandon.

The urgency of his release began in his balls and surged through his gut, chest and throat. It enveloped his entire body and as he stilled and allowed his seed to spill from himself into Bella he roared just one word into the darkness of his living room, "Mine."

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**A/N: Thank you for reading. **

**Please review. **


	21. Chapter 21

_The bashing on the door got louder and louder and Edward got madder and madder. _

"_Fuck off!" he roared as he rolled over and buried his nose into Bella's hair. _

"_They aren't going to go away," she giggles as she lifts the covers to exit the bed. _

"_Oh no you don't," Edward growls as he pulls her back down to the mattress. "Ignore them; they'll get sick of waiting eventually."_

_She knows her brothers and they don't give up or give in, especially when the prize is annoying someone else. Rolling over and coming face to face with her own personal Adonis Bella smiles. "You game?" she asks with a wink. _

_Rolling his eyes – he's been burnt so many times taking on a Cullen in games – Edward tells her that he's game. "Rules?" he asks because there are always rules. _

"_If you can give me three good reasons, that don't involve sex, as to why we should ignore them and stay in this bed, I'll stay and they can bang on the door all day," she says cheekily. _

"_Deal," Edward says confidently. "One, if I tell you what I'm planning to do to your brothers if they insist I go running with them today the word premeditated will get thrown around in a courtroom. We can't have that," he chuckles. "Two, according to my internal calendar today is punch a brother in the face day, so that brings us back to court. And three, getting out of this bed while you're in it is a hard limit for me."_

_Giggling frantically Bella cups his cheek with her hand and kisses him hard. "You've read Fifty Shades?" she asks, impressed. "I'd never have picked you for a hard limit kind of guy," she giggles as she nips at the point of his chin with her teeth. _

_Edward, groaning loudly felt himself stiffen. "It was drivel, but you liked it, so I read it. Won't happen again," he laughs when she digs the point of her elbow into his ribs in protest. _

"_It was awesome sauce," she says defiantly. "But we'll discuss that another time," she warns. "Now, back to your three reasons. They were truly awful," she laughs. "If I was to eat a bowl of alphabet soup I'd shit a better argument than that," she cackles. _

_Attempting to look affronted Edward begins to pout. "You can't eat and you can't shit, potty mouth," he berates her good naturedly. "So do I have to answer the door or what?" he asks. _

_Turning over Bella reaches for her cell phone from the bedside table. She taps out a text and then passes it to Edward after hitting send. _

_Reading it Edward begins to really laugh. "I guess we're staying right here. Sucks to be our brothers," he laughs as he pulls her hard up against his chest and kisses the hell out of her. _

_(I'd like to invite readers who wish to have a crack at what her text message said to private message me with their own versions. All entries will be published at the beginning of the next chapter. All I ask is that you don't keep them clean __)_

* * *

Lying on what was left of the carpeting on the living room floor Edward stared up at the ceiling and tried to bring his body under control. His mind was a lost caused.

Bella, in exactly the position he'd left her in, did the same. "Wow," she giggled after a few minutes silence to mark the occasion.

"Wow's good, right?" Edward chuckled as he covered his face with his forearm. His nervousness was returning quickly. He was naked, lying on the floor in his living room and he had no idea what to say or what to do.

"Wow's good, yeah," Bella agreed even though the word did nothing to convey just how much she was feeling. Pulling a stray hair from her mouth and wiping venom from her lips and cheek she gathered herself enough to try to make a full sentence. "We've destroyed this carpet," she giggled when she could think of nothing else to say.

"It needs replacing anyway," Edward whispered, unable to form a full sentence of his own. Pulling his knee up so that he could hide his manhood Edward ran a hand lazily through his hair and sighed. He should be spent. He should be panting hard and his bones should be aching. His muscles should be screaming with the exertion and all the pent up frustrations he'd endured before finally making love to his mate. But they weren't and he wasn't. It only took five seconds of quiet contemplation about what he'd just done and his flaccidity was a distant memory.

Bella, worried that he was going to shut down emotionally slid her hand across the shredded carpet between them. Locating his fingers she wound hers around them and squeezed. "I love you," she whispered softly.

Smiling to himself Edward squeezed her hand in return. "And I love you," he told her firmly.

In the periphery of her vision Bella noticed Edward twist his body slightly away from her and began to grin smugly. Edward was hiding his next erection. She'd known he'd have a quick turnaround. In fact she'd been counting on it. Her own desire had peaked as he'd ejaculated but had begun building again the instant he'd rolled off her. The fluttering in her belly as she'd run the whole incredible event through her mind had turned her on and she wanted him again, now.

She knew that it was normal from having to endure the sounds of her family but she also knew that Edward would have no clue. Turning onto her side to face him Bella giggled when she saw that he was hiding behind his arm. Taking the opportunity to ogle his groin Bella licked her lips before speaking. "It's normal," she chuckled.

"What is?" he asked from behind his arm.

Sliding her hand under his balls and massaging them gently Bella purred as she released them and took hold of his length, "This. This is normal."

Edward, startled by her touch, flinched only slightly. "Is it?" he asked, doubtful. "Nothing feels normal anymore."

Smiling Bella stroked him from base to tip, her fingers only just meeting around his girth. "This is our new normal," she whispered. "We don't tire, ever, so you're going to be able to go again pretty quickly." She watched his top lip twitch as she fisted him a little harder. He was so beautiful, all over. "Tell me to stop and I'll leave you alone," she challenged.

He was silent so Bella stilled her hand to give him a second to think. When he made no move and no sound she loosened her grip slightly, just to be sure. She felt confident and she felt in control but that didn't mean he did. And it didn't mean he was in any headspace that would let him make good decisions for himself.

She was hit by a powerful surge of lust when Edward removed his arm from over his eyes and gripped her wrist firmly. "Don't stop," he muttered as she began to stroke again. With his eyes shut tight Edward revelled in her touch and in her scent. She was as aroused as he was and that surprised him. He'd been embarrassed by his need for her after having only just sated his lust, but she'd said it was normal to be erect again so swiftly. He wondered why he could only ever achieve a single erection, and consequently a single ejaculation, when he masturbated.

He couldn't know, of course, and he was far too self conscious and nervous to ask, but Bella was the same. She could usually give herself an orgasm manually, but just one. She'd hoped that she'd be able to achieve release multiple times with Edward but up until she actually had it had just been a wish.

Groaning deep in his throat as she stroked over his sensitive head Edward began to think that he was going to quite like their new normal. "Tighter," he instructed as she immediately closed her fist around him a little more firmly. "Yesss," he hissed as she strummed her thumb over his tip at the height of each stroke. "Enough!" he bellowed as he felt his balls tighten. Hoisting himself up to sitting and then forward until he was on his knees, Bella on hers beside him, Edward put a hand to her shoulder and used the other to tilt her face until he could look into her eyes. "Tell me to stop and I'll leave you alone," he grinned as he echoed her challenge.

Grinning up at him herself Bella met his eyes with lust in her own. "I'm yours," she told him simply as he leaned over her and forced her onto her back on the floor once again.

Their coupling was just as quick and just as desperate the second time as the first had been. Edward spent half a second considering taking his time and Bella spent even less wondering if he wanted to before they were joined once again. There was no foreplay this time and neither needed it. Their senses were still at their height from round one and Bella was still slick with his seed so as he slid home without precursor his path was slippery and inviting. Their growls and hisses, moans and groans ricocheted through the empty house as they tore it apart.

There were dents in the baseboards in the living room where Edward had braced his feet as he'd plunged himself into her over and over. There was scuffed paint on the front of the cabinets in the kitchen and tiny chips of it all across Edward's back from where his shoulders had rubbed as Bella had ridden him while sitting in his lap. There were gouge marks in the countertops in distinct patterns where Bella had clutched it as Edward had taken her from behind.

He'd held her up against the living room wall, where he'd punched it earlier, and had deepened and widened the hole considerably. The frayed edges of the carpet were torn further as Bella had used it for leverage herself. They both looked twice their age as they lay on the floor, totally spent for the second time, with a fine coating of plaster dust in their hair.

And as he had the first time Edward had punctuated his release with just one word, "Mine."

"Wow isn't going to cut it this time," Edward chuckled as he clutched Bella to his chest afterwards.

"Totally," Bella whispered idiotically. "I mean, I know. I mean, yeah. Um...what was the question?" she giggled.

Edward, laughing from deep in his belly, kissed the top of Bella's head. "Good answer."

"Oh good," Bella giggled again. Placing a soft kiss right in the centre of his chest she made to get off him but Edward held her firmly.

"Not yet," he begged. "Let me hold you just a little longer."

Smiling against him Bella nodded just once and settled back onto his chest. The silence wasn't uncomfortable this time. It came about because there was nothing either of them could say that would do justice to the way they were feeling, so they said nothing at all. Edward wasn't embarrassed or nervous this time. He'd acquitted himself well and even though he still hadn't explored her body nearly enough he felt confident that she felt as blissed out as he did. Stroking her hair languidly Edward thought about how happy he finally was and Bella thought about how close she'd come to losing him.

It didn't matter to either of them where they were headed and it didn't occur to either of them that there were still decisions to be made, the family to face, or the sisters still to confront. None of that mattered as they lay there.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Edward broke the silence.

"Don't be," Bella purred languidly. "You had every right to be mad at me. I totally fucked this up," she chuckled softly.

"Our first fight ended rather well though," Edward chuckled too.

"Won't be our last, but yeah, ended pretty well," she agreed.

"I hope it's our last," he said as he stroked her hair, "but I doubt it."

"That's normal too," Bella told him. "The others fight a lot. Lots of misunderstandings and miscommunications in that house. Something always gets broken, someone always throws something," she giggled, "But they always make up. Just like this too," she cringed.

"Angry sex," Edward mumbled, "I've read about that."

"Hmm mm," Bella muttered incoherently. "I've read about it a bit too. In those bodice rippers you hate," she chuckled as she rubbed his belly.

"Mmm, that feels good," he told her. "We'll have a few interesting debates about your reading habits I'm guessing."

With eyes closed Bella smiled. Increasing the pressure at her fingertips she rubbed in a larger pattern across his belly and down towards his glorious hip bone. "Probably," she agreed. "I'll look forward to it if we end up in bed together."

Wrapping his arms around her so he didn't dislodge her as he laughed Edward shook with his mirth, "We didn't end up in a bed this time!"

"Is your bed still here?" Bella asked, giggling her head off.

"It is," Edward said. "But if you laugh at the characters on my sheets you'll never get into it," he sniggered.

"Oooh, can I guess?" Bella asked as she tried to sit up. Edward, holding her firmly, kept her right where she was. Lying back down she began stroking his tummy again. "Are they Snoopy?" she asked.

"No," Edward chuckled. "You'll never guess, so you may as well give up now."

"I'll get it," she said defiantly. "Transformers?" she guessed and was told no. "The Hulk? Oh, that would be awesome," she laughed and was again told no. "Um, it better not be Justin Bieber," she shuddered and was happy to be told no. "Hmmm," she mused, "you like old music so maybe it's Elvis?"

"Elvis," Edward muttered. "You won't guess, and I'm embarrassed enough about them already, so let's forget it," he said as he made to get up. "We should clean up," he suggested to get her off the topic. "I think there are still some towels in boxes in my room but there's no hot water."

"Doesn't matter," Bella told him as she rolled sideways and off him. "Come on," she said as she held her hand out for him. "And I'll keep trying to guess while you search out some towels," she chuckled. "Nice diversion by the way," she told him as she went left into the bathroom and he went further down the hall to his room.

She smiled as she saw the stripy curtains and when Edward came back with an armful of towels she hugged him tight. "Are they Bananas in Pyjamas?" she asked cheekily.

"What?" Edward blinked, confused.

"Your sheets are they Bananas in Pyjamas?" she asked again.

"I have no idea what they are but they don't sound very nutritious," he chuckled as he turned on the taps for the tub. Smiling as he stood before her, naked as the day he was born, Edward slid his arms around her and kissed her deeply. "Let me bathe you," he pled as he withdrew his lips. Bella said nothing, her nod said it all.

She sat primly on the edge of the tub as it filled. Edward sprinted through the house searching for any sliver of soap or shampoo they could use, but there was none. Instead he came back with a set of clean clothing for them both. None of it was going to fit her but it was the best he could do under the circumstances. Setting it all on the counter in the little bathroom he stepped into the icy tub and then held his hand out for Bella to join him. She slid between his knees and sighed even though the water was cold. Neither of them felt bad for the temperature, but a hot bath would've been nice all the same. "I'll have the utilities reconnected in the morning," Edward told her as he rinsed her hair. With no soap or shampoo it was the best he could do.

Without turning to face him Bella nodded. He didn't need to tell her that he wanted to stay in his home now. She'd known it for herself and didn't need to hear it from his lips. He fit here, far better than he did at the Cullen house. "Get Jaz to help, he's a whiz at that sort of thing," she told him. "You'll need to stay out of sight of the neighbours for a bit too, don't forget."

Edward wasn't thinking about the neighbours as he ran his hands over her breasts and belly. "Carlisle isn't going to be happy with me wanting to come back here," he said idly. "In fact I think they're all going to be angry with me," Edward said matter of factly.

"They won't," Bella assured him. "They'll understand that you need to be here." And she knew that he did. He'd always be welcome wherever the family was, and she didn't doubt that in the coming years and decades he'd live with them all again at various times, but for right now she knew he needed to be in his family home. So much had changed for him. He'd changed so much and some of it she liked, but some of it she missed too.

"And you?" he asked cautiously.

Bella, pulled from her inner musings, had to think quickly and run the previous part of the conversation over in her head to work out what he was asking. "I understand too," Bella told him honestly.

"No," Edward whispered, "I meant where do you need to be now?"

"I'm not sure," she whispered, suddenly a little panicked that they might live apart for a little while. She'd never considered it, not once, that he might want to be in his own home on his own. "If you really want to stay here I'll visit as often as you'll have me I guess."

Edward shuddered at the thought. "No," he whispered into her hair as he tightened his hold on her. "No," he said again. "I want you here, with me."

Smiling to herself Bella let go of the breath she'd been holding onto. She hadn't dared hope that he'd invite her to share the house but now that he had she was elated. "Are you sure you want me here?" she asked just in case he hadn't thought it through.

"I am sure," Edward said just as honestly. "But it's your choice. I'll go back to the Cullen house if you want me to. I don't even know if I _can_ be here yet. I know I can't be here on my own, but if you want to stay with me I'd like to try."

Leaning back against his chest Bella sighed with happiness. Leaving her family would be hard, but she belonged with Edward. The family weren't far and she knew they'd see them often – if Edward ever forgave them for what they'd engineered. "I want to be here with you. It's where I belong, with you now. I know you can do it and I'll help with anything I can," she said eventually. "And it doesn't matter what the family think really. The others have gone off on their own over the years, at different times. This is no different."

"I didn't know that," Edward said, relieved that his idea to stay in his own home with his mate wasn't that out of the realm of possibility.

"Yeah," Bella sighed contentedly. "There's a lot you don't know about them, and about me. I'd like to fill you in, if you'll let me?"

Tightening his arms around her waist Edward smiled above her head. "Yeah, I'd like that. But later...much later."

As it turned out Edward's education began much, much later.

Once clean it was decided, silently, that getting dirty again was the order of the day. And by this time it _was_ day time. The sun had risen as they'd bathed one another in the tub. With the backdrop of only distant traffic noise they both headed towards Edward's childhood bedroom laughing like hyenas. Edward because he was doing his best to divert Bella's attention, and Bella because she was desperate to see what was on his sheets.

With Edward holding her around the waist to try and keep her from the open doorway, and Bella fighting him all the way, it took a wily and unscrupulous move to get her what she wanted. Reaching between them and cupping him gently Bella got up onto her toes and whispered into his ear. "I'd love to take you into my mouth," she purred, making Edward startle and shiver. With a resounding 'huh, I win' Bella let him go, leapt away and ran into his room while Edward stood in the hall blinking rapidly. "Oh, you've got to be joking!" she whooped as she came face to face with Darth Vader. "Star Wars? Really?" she called to him as she pulled the covers back and got a good look.

Standing in the doorway, shoulder braced against the jamb, Edward began to laugh. "I've had them since I was a kid," he told her. "If you pull the top sheet down you'll see who's on the bottom one," he chuckled as he moved into the room properly.

The room felt different now. Bella was his now. The times she'd been in it before he'd been sure she was only there to find fault or to tease him for something. But now, even though she was laughing like a madwoman at his choice of bedclothes, it felt different. He felt different.

"R2D2!" she giggled when the top sheet had been pulled aside. "He was always my favourite," she laughed as she sat and patted the mattress beside herself.

Sitting beside her Edward laughed with her. "My mother took me to see the original film when it was going through its revival," he told her. "It feels stupid and childish now, but I loved these," he said as he patted the sheet fondly.

"If you want to hold onto them we might need to change them," Bella said with a wink. When Edward's brows lifted in confusion Bella began to giggle. "Your nails," she said as she took his hand into hers. "When I take you into my mouth you're going to destroy these sheets with your nails."

"Good Christ," Edward moaned at the words and at the tingling sensation of her venom coating his fingers as she drew them into her mouth and sucked hard.

Never one for fantasy, even as a teenager going through puberty, Edward now made up for lost time. His brain began to formulate scenarios at a rapid rate. Bella on her knees with him in her mouth. Bella lying back as he kissed and licked his way along her body. Himself on his back with Bella astride him in his bed.

"Hey, you in there?" Bella giggled at a catatonic Edward. Shaking his head to clear the salacious thoughts Edward could only grin and nod. "If it bothers you, or you don't like it, I'll stop, okay?" Bella asked carefully. After all, sharp teeth and flesh weren't always a good mix.

Edward didn't think for one second that he wasn't going to like what she was offering so he said nothing. Scooting backwards he got himself into the centre of the tiny bed and laid back onto his pillow. He was already hard, had been since the mention of getting dirty when they'd still been in the bathroom. But he wasn't embarrassed by it now because he knew it was natural. Pulling the top sheet and the covers away Bella climbed onto the bed between his knees.

Imagining her just falling forward and getting started Edward was surprised to feel her hands on his calves. "Close your eyes," she whispered to a grateful Edward. He'd wanted to put his arm over his face again but thought it was stupid. She'd saved him, again. "Relax," she told him as she dug her fingers into his clenched muscles. Letting go of his held in breath Edward tried to loosen his body. "That's it," she cooed softly as his legs went floppy. "If I do something you don't like just say so," she told him as she lowered her lips to his left shin. She kissed him softly, while her fingers continued to knead him hard.

The contrast between her fingers and her lips had Edward moaning long before she switched legs. "So good," he drawled as she moved a little higher and began to massage the back of his thigh.

Her lips began to nip gently when she switched sides and by the time she made her way to his groin he was panting. "It'll be intense at first," she whispered as she placed another soft kiss to his pubic hair. "I'll be gentle and you tell me when you're ready for more."

Focusing on the feel of her fingers as she slid them around his hips and dug them into his buttocks Edward clenched everything he owned as Bella kissed the head of his straining dick for the first time. "God," he hissed as she did it again. "Oh fuck," he growled as she closed her lips around the head and licked gently. She'd been right, it was intense. The suction she created with just the slightest touch of her lips had his brain swimming and incoherent mumblings falling from his lips. "More," he begged after a few seconds.

Once she'd been given the go ahead she set a slow pace. She took as much of him into her mouth as she could and held steady until he'd finished bucking. He'd never hurt her but she didn't think he was capable of realising it for himself so she gave him half a minute to adjust to the sensations before rising slightly and then dropping back down on his magnificent length. Groaning herself as it pressed hard to the back of her throat Edward did exactly as she'd thought he would. He fisted the bottom sheet and tore it to shreds. She'd buy him new sheets she thought as she ran her tongue along the underside ridge and allowed his whole length to 'pop' free of her lips.

Bringing her hands back around she used one hand to cup his balls and the other to circle his cock. With each upward suck she tightened her fingers and around him and with each downward stroke she slackened them off. As he began to shout she quickened both her lips and fingers and prepared to swallow hard as he came.

Panicking slightly as his release approached Edward attempted to buck her off, but Bella held fast. With his eyes closed and his hands clawing at the exposed stuffing of his mattress Edward was powerless to stave the orgasm off. Shoving his hips upward Edward tipped over the edge and as he voiced his pleasure Bella released the pressure on his balls, removed her hand and clamped her lips around him firmly.

When the ripples of his pleasure abated enough for him to form a coherent thought Edward reached for her and dragged her up the bed, up his body and settled her on his chest. He wanted to say thank you. He wanted to tell her how amazing she made him feel. He wanted to tell her that he couldn't wait to return the favour. But he couldn't. His body was on fire and his brain had packed up and was sitting on the stoop smoking a cigarette. So he said nothing. He held her close, kissed her hair and let himself enjoy the aftershocks.

Bella said nothing either. She simply lay on his heaving chest and held him tight. She didn't need anything. No thanks and not a score for technique either. She just wanted to be held by him.

They lay like that for an hour, each inside their own heads thinking about all that had happened over the past twenty four hours and wondering what was likely to happen over the next.

Reaching down Bella pulled Darth Vader and the coverlet up and over them. Sliding downwards and to his left Edward made room for her his tiny twin bed. They both turned to their sides and with Bella's back to his chest Edward drank in her scent and kissed her shoulder. "I love you," he murmured, eyes closed and blissfully happy. Stroking his forearm Bella echoed the sentiment.

It wasn't the size of the bed that saw them hard up against one another, it was need. A need to be held. A need to be touched and a need to be close. Gentle kisses turned into hurried ones during the early morning and Edward's deft fingers rubbing along Bella's spine turned into the utter destruction of Edward's childhood bed come midday.

Standing in the doorway later – Edward dressed in his old dad pants and a button down, Bella in his boxer shorts, a far too big flannel shirt and a pair of his sweats rolled half a dozen times at the waist after another cold bath - the pair surveyed the damage of the room. Both the bed head and the foot end had worked themselves loose and were now just splintered pieces of firewood on the floor. Darth Vader was in strips on the floor and R2D2 looked just plain sad as the threads of the bottom sheet hung limply off the edge of the shredded mattress. There were deep gouges on the wall where the bed had been shoved against it before it had collapsed and there were two fist sized holes in the wall by the window where Edward had slammed his fists to stave off yet another orgasm. It hadn't worked and he'd slammed them into the exposed joists as Bella had milked that final release from his body.

"Not much left," Bella giggled as they looked around the room.

"Those sheets had a good run," Edward chuckled as he clutched her hand in his. "It was high time I bought a bigger bed anyway," he laughed at the sight before him.

"Steel," Bella whispered, trying to hide her mirth. "Emmett knows where to get one. Get a steel framed one."

"Good to know," Edward told her, smile on his lips. "They're going to be merciless, aren't they?" he asked, thinking about the ribbing they were likely to get once they showed their faces.

"Probably, but not today," she replied. "Today they'll want to apologise for how they handled everything."

"I was so mad," Edward told her as they moved towards the door.

Ducking back into the room Bella snatched his glasses from what was left of the bedside table and slipped them into her pocket. She met him at the backdoor and as he pulled it shut after her she noticed he no longer bothered to check and recheck the locks.

"And now?" Bella asked as he took her hand. "Are you still angry?"

Bringing her hand to his lips he kissed it softly. "Not as much, no," he told her honestly. "But who knows what my temper is going to do when we get there. Run with me?" he asked over their clasped hands.

"Oh yes please," she told him in a rush.

They jogged down the street at a careful human pace but just as they had as they'd run towards the beach with the bigger group Edward tugged and strained against her hand. He balked just once, in exactly the spot where he'd hurt the mechanic on Spruce Drive but as they hit the tree line he visibly relaxed and the instant they were out of sight of any humans Bella squeezed his hand and laughed as he tore off due East at full pace.

He whistled as he changed direction and Bella followed behind as fast as she could. Shaking her head in disbelief at his speed she put her head down and did her best. She found him leaning casually against a tree at the end of one of the paths and had to grit her teeth to stave off the guttural growl of possessiveness as she walked towards him.

Dressed as he was in his old dad pants with a faded and worn button down shirt and with his hair falling in its regular curtain across his left eye Bella stared at the old Eddie.

"I know you hate these," Edward told her noticing her frown. Holding out the tails of his old shirt as she approached his position he looked down at the dowdy clothes. "I'll change as soon as we get back."

"If you must," Bella muttered.

As was his habit when Bella hid her eyes from him Edward used a fingertip under her chin to raise her face. "If you have something to say you should just say it. Don't hide from me, remember? We're mates, we need to share," he reminded her sternly.

Blinking hard and swallowing thickly Bella agreed with his statement in principle but wondered if his appearance was something she had a right to an opinion about. "It's none of my business," she said simply by way of an answer.

"It is," he stated firmly. "It is your business and if you have something to say I want to hear it."

Shivering slightly at his aggressive tone and the way he held her gaze Bella nodded against his finger. "Alright," she agreed. "If you're happy with your new clothes and your new image that's great, but if you aren't you shouldn't let Alice' penchant for high fashion dictate how you want to look."

Edward began to bristle. He didn't give a fat flying fuck what Alice' fashion cues were, he only cared about what his mate thought. "Try again," he growled as he stared her down. "I want your opinion, not a critique of Alice' buying techniques."

Desperate to rub her thighs together as Edward's scent began to strengthen Bella tried to ignore her rising arousal. Licking her bottom lip to rid herself of her excess venom Bella stared into his rapidly darkening eyes. Swallowing against the need to hide her true feelings Bella 'manned up'. "Alright, you really want to know what I think? I want the old Eddie back," she sneered. "You look amazing in the new stuff but..." she trailed off, unable to think of how to explain herself.

"I can't go back to wearing this shit in public," he told her honestly. "I look too much like Eddie Masen in it. That'd be fine if I was going to continue to live at the Cullen house, but I want to try living in my own home. That means I have to look different."

Conceding that point Bella nodded when Edward dropped his finger from under her chin. "Okay, that makes sense," she said, disappointed. She'd hoped he'd want to revert to his old clothing and his old style.

"I think we can negotiate though," he grinned. Brushing a hair off her face and tucking it behind her ear he smiled down at her. "In public I'll be the new Edward Cullen. In private, in _our_ home, I'll be Eddie Masen, if that's what you want?"

Mirroring his smile Bella nodded and turned her lips into his palm to place a kiss there. "Our home," she whispered. "That sounds so good. And yes, inside our home be the real you, please."

"Minus the OCD though right?" he chuckled as he ducked his head and kissed her lips. "Oh, and the hypochondria."

"Yeah, minus those," she giggled. "But plus these," she said as she slid her hand into the pocket of the sweats and withdrew his glasses. Holding them in her flattened palm she stepped away a little.

Edward glanced down and then chuckled deep in his throat. "Put them on," he instructed.

Slipping them over her ears Bella wasn't at all surprised that they were just clear glass lenses. "You had these made," she giggled.

Closing his eyes for a split second Edward had to slide his hand into his pocket to adjust himself. "You look so fucking hot, maybe I should have some made for you," he drawled, licking his bottom lip.

Taking the glasses off Bella slid them over his ears and seated them onto his nose. "One hot nerd in the family is enough," she giggled. "Wear these in the house, yeah?" she asked.

Making no attempt to hide the mighty hit he took of her steadily rising aroused scent Edward nodded his agreement. "Deal, on one condition," he breathed into her ear as he took her into his arms.

"Name it," she breathed huskily as he ran his tongue over the lobe.

"You buy some skirts, short ones. I want to ogle your legs in the house," he growled into the soft flesh at her throat. "I want to run my hands up your legs whenever I want to and just feel your gorgeous skin."

"Deal," she moaned as his teeth found purchase on her collarbone. Mentally kicking herself for what she was about to say Bella used the flat of her hands to push him away. "If we don't get a move on we'll miss our chance to confront the sisters," she told a panting Edward.

The growl that came out of his throat startled even Edward as he thought about the awful women. "If I hunt will it stop me trying to take their heads off?" he asked as he took her hand and began to walk into the trees.

Following, though not at all happy about having to end what they'd started, Bella began to nod. "I'll hunt too. I'll plead your case if it doesn't work," she laughed.

* * *

**A/N: No disrespect meant to Icy regarding Edward's view of FSOG...I haven't met a guy yet who liked it, so I went with that opinion rather than my own. Like Bella I thought it was awesome sauce :)**

**A lot to 'get through' in this chapter. **

**It took me a long, long time to get it right. There are just so many issue's they've still got left unsaid. There were too many to get into one chapter. **

**Thank you for reading.**

**Please review. **


	22. Chapter 22

_As promised today's vignette is a list of possible text messages Bella sent to her brothers as they pounded on the front door of the Masen house. _

_This is a nudity only household. NO clothing allowed upon crossing the threshold._

_Please keep knocking. I love angry sex with Edward._

_(this one sent to Esme to get the boys to go home) Emmett and Jasper broke that vase last week, playing catch in the house. _

_(Sent to Alice and Rose) Em and Jaz want you to join us. Dress code optional. My room now!_

_Edward's coming to the door naked. So keep knocking._

_Don't ask for entry as refusal, and being told by your little sister to fuck off, often offends._

_( To Emmett) If you don't leave now I'll pay Rose to delete your entire porn collection._

_(To Jasper) If you don't leave now I'll pay Alice to take you to Milan for fashion week to shop all week. _

_If you don't leave now I'll tell the Denali girls you're up for a foursome._

* * *

Bella wasn't self conscious as she hunted in front of her mate. Her technique was simple. Find prey and feed from it. And it always worked. There were no routines, no rituals and no fuss as she fed.

Edward watched with rapt attention from downwind as his beautiful mate gulped and slurped, and all the while he thought about her tongue wrapped around his shaft earlier. She'd told him she got aroused watching him hunt but until he watched her do it he couldn't fathom why. Now he knew.

All the Cullen's worked hard to hide what they were to the untrained eye. And Bella was masterful at it both physically and mentally, Edward knew that first hand. But here, on the hunt, she was a vampire and it was obvious as he watched her.

She darted with practised ease as her prey tried in vain to elude her. She pounced with a guttural roar at exactly the right angle and moment in time and she gulped hungrily at its throat, her eyes darting around to ensure her safety from other predators.

It was a sensual portrait of a feral female.

She was graceful but lethal, elegant in movement but deadly in intent.

Her facial expression upon feeding was akin to the one she made when in the throes of ecstasy and Edward had to work hard to keep control of his warring needs as he watched her complete the feeding.

Watching her dash back to him, grin across her faintly crimson lips, Edward felt himself leak into his boxers.

"Your turn?" she asked as she came to a halt in front of him. Watching the warring halves of his twin lusts fight for dominance on his face made Bella grin smugly. She'd never fed in front of him before and she was guessing he'd just felt what she'd been feeling all along. The blurring of the lines between sexual lust and bloodlust.

"I'll be quick," he announced after swiping his tongue across her bottom lip hurriedly.

With the hint of deer blood on his tongue from her kill he took off into the trees in search of something for himself. Bella followed as closely behind as she could but he was just too fast for her. She found him stalking through long grass, a small herd of deer grazing innocently thirty feet from where he was crouched.

The relief Bella felt as she watched Edward hunt was palpable. She'd missed it so much. His technique hadn't changed because it didn't need to. He pounced with lethal ability, brought the huge deer to the ground with style and drank from it heartily. He kept his eyes on Bella the whole time he fed, not because he was possessive of his kill but because he now knew that his hunt aroused her.

Bella watched his throat convulse and his eyes close in pleasure as he drank and felt the liquid heat of desire pool between her thighs as he had his fill of the beast. She watched with rapt attention as he licked his bottom lip once the animal had given its last and licked her own lips as he swiped the back of his hand across his mouth. And then she watched his body crumple to the ground when he saw the blood on the back of his hand.

She didn't waste time panicking. She knew all about this now. All she needed to do was protect him from anything or anyone who wanted to do him harm while he was incapacitated and seeing as neither of those two things were present all she needed to do was be there. Running to him she held him in her arms on the forest floor, cooing softly to let him know that she was there and that she had him. She now hated the fact that she'd teased him over this. She hated herself for thinking it was yet another of his weaknesses. It wasn't. It was a phobia and it was irrational and it was nothing he could control.

Blinking rapidly as he came back to the surface of consciousness Edward opened his eyes to a smiling Bella. "Hey," she said softly as he came to.

"How long?" he croaked as he'd done so many times with Jasper.

"Sorry?" Bella asked.

"How long was I out this time?" he asked her as he made to sit up on his own.

"I don't know," Bella told him. "A few minutes maybe. Have you been timing it?" she asked as she got to her feet and offered him a hand.

Ignoring her proffered hand he sprang up under his own steam and slapped at his pants to rid them of the debris from the ground. "Jasper times it," he snarled involuntarily. "He's been tagging along, just to keep watch," he told her, slightly ashamed. "I thought now that you and I had...I thought maybe now we were...fuck!" he roared in frustration.

Approaching him cautiously Bella held her hands up in supplication. "You thought now that we were mated that you'd be in better control when you hunted," she finished for him. "But it's not about control," she said. "It never was. It's a phobia and it isn't about your control," she assured him. Slipping her arms around his waist Bella ducked her head and rested it against his heaving chest. "It's okay," she soothed as Edward unclenched his fists and began to relax. "I'm here, you'll never have to wake alone, I promise."

"But I'm different," Edward protested, breaking the embrace and stepping away in frustration. And he did feel different. More in control of himself and more aware of where he was headed now that he and Bella were sorted. "I was sure, once you and I were settled that this would sort itself out. I felt in control this time. I didn't spill a drop. I made sure. I saw you there and I liked it that you were with me. Damn it," he muttered darkly.

"Don't," Bella pled. "Don't worry about it. I'm not. It's not a weakness. It's not even a fault if you want to look at it that way. It's just how you are and there's nothing wrong with it. The only problem it will pose is if you decide to hunt alone. You'd be vulnerable only to others like us so as long as there's someone with you it won't be a problem. I'll protect you," she assured him.

"You'll protect me," Edward echoed quietly. "God Bella, hearing you say that..." he trailed off.

"I will," she told him firmly. "I'll protect you."

It didn't seem right to Edward. In so many things, as Bella had explained, he was the dominant force in their relationship. But in this he was going to have to concede a little ground. "Don't say anything to anyone, please?" Edward asked her as he pulled her to him and gave her one more kiss. "Jasper knows but there's no reason to tell the others."

"I won't," Bella promised. "I'll hunt with you every day, every night too if that's what you need. I won't tell anyone why and they won't think anything of it. They hunt in pairs anyway, it won't seem odd."

"Thank you," Edward whispered into her temple. "Shall we?" he asked as he let her go, happy to not have to think about the hunt anymore. He hated fainting. He hated anyone seeing him faint and he hated the sympathy in their eyes when he woke from it. It was a weakness and nothing anyone could say would change that for him. He was a defective vampire and he hated that.

"Yeah, let's face the music," Bella huffed as she put her hand into his and began a leisurely jog home.

There was no point to voicing their displeasure about having to go to the Cullen house. They both felt the same and they both wanted a chance to speak with the family about what had happened before and what was going to happen now.

The run home was sublime, everything they both knew it would be. Running for pleasure was important for them both. Running together for pleasure was magnificent. And for the very first time both of them were happy and content as they ran. They had plans and once the sisters were dispatched home they could act on them.

The jog once again turned into a race within seconds of them heading away from the spot Edward had taken the deer down in, and by the time they reached the lawn at the Cullen house Edward was crowing over his win and Bella was playfully scowling. "Winner chooses his prize," Bella sniggered as she slapped his ass and ran right past him and up onto the back decking.

Edward, less eager to enter the house and shaking his head at the slap and her choice of words, approached a little more cautiously. The vile scents of the sisters clung to the place and as he got closer to the backdoor he could already hear Bella shouting. She only had a two minute head start on him so he missed the first few angry words, but he caught the rest.

Standing in the doorway Edward watched his mate in full flight.

"You came here knowing what you were going to do!" she bellowed at three very contrite looking sisters who sat perched precariously on the edge of a sofa. "You knew I liked him, fuck you probably knew I was in love with him! But did you bother to find out before you threw yourselves at him? Oh no," she raged. "You didn't bother to ask, or to make certain he was even available before you started your quest to deflower him!" she roared.

The rest of the family sat primly in chairs and on the ottoman looking anywhere but at Bella. They knew they were likely to be next to receive her wrath and had the good grace to make themselves available for it.

Pacing in front of the sofa Bella wiped her lips free of her anger induced venom and let all her anger out. "I'm supposed to be your family!" she bellowed.

Edward marvelled at her ability to switch emotions so quickly. In the forest she'd been sweet and gentle and kind and then on the run playful and cheeky when they'd reached the perimeter of the property. But here she was, venom flying from her lips, eyes blazing in anger. Whether the emotional switching was an ability she'd gained after her change or whether she'd been this way as a human he didn't know and he felt himself mourning the loss of never having known her as Bella Swan.

"You," Bella pointed to Kate, "You said yourself how important family is in this life and you fucking betrayed me. You all did. My own cousins! I should've been important enough, my feelings should've been more important than your libido's," she wailed. "You must have seen him cringing? You must have seen his discomfort around you? You should've known that he didn't want to play your stupid fucking games because I fucking did and I'm betting the others did too, so why didn't you back off then, if not for me then for him? He's your family too now. He's a Cullen and he deserves the respect that name affords him. Even if you ignored what you couldn't have logically fucking missed about how I felt, and you knew him only to be my brother and their son," she said waving her hand behind her to where Carlisle and Esme sat, "Where is the respect he deserves for that at the very least? Where is it? Where is your respect for who and what he is? You treated him like a piece of meat, like something to be fought over, something to be won. Well he's not, he's a good man and he's mine," she hissed possessively. "What is wrong with you three?" she screeched as she leaned over to force the angry words from her throat.

Still watching from the doorway Edward marvelled at the depth of her sincerity. She was hurt for herself but even in the throes of fully fledged anger she still thought to berate them for the way they'd made _him_ feel. She'd known he wanted to have his say, and there was nothing stopping him doing so, but she'd covered it all quite efficiently on his behalf. It carried more weight hearing her defend him than his need to defend himself would anyway. She was their family and she was right. They should've been respectful of that, if nothing else. She was articulate even though the delivery was born from anger. She was fighting for his right to respect and he loved her for it. She was magnificent and she was all his.

Making his way into the room he moved to Bella's side and took her hand into his. With a gentle squeeze he pulled her to him and kissed her full on the mouth. The kiss itself was chaste compared to others they'd shared, but it spoke volumes to the assembled group.

The family all smiled because they knew that Edward had found his confidence as a man if he could make the very public show, the sisters cringed at the display of possession and adoration. They already felt bad for their behaviour but seeing the two of them together, embracing and comfortable doing so in front of their family, it just rammed the feelings of guilt home that little bit more.

Winking at Bella as he broke their embrace, keeping her hand in his, he turned to the sisters. "If any of you ever touch me again I'll kill you," he told them as calmly as he could. "If any of you ever hurt my mate again I'll kill you," he barked as the three of them began to shift uncomfortably in their seats. "If any of you show your faces at my home without an invitation I'll kill you. Get the address from Esme so you can make yourselves familiar with where it is. This isn't my house so I can't tell you to get out, but I hope that you will."

And with that he bent to Bella's throat, drew her scent in deeply through his nostrils, kissed the corner of her mouth as he returned to his full height and told her he'd be up in his room packing when she was ready to join him.

Bella squeezed his hand before he left the room and smiled the smile of the deeply satisfied. He was amazing. So controlled despite the rage she knew he was feeling. So sure of himself and so comfortable showing her affection in public. If she'd been able to swoon she would have.

Turning back to the sisters Bella smiled sweetly. "This isn't my house any longer so I can't tell you to get out either, but I agree with my mate. I hope you'll go." She shot off up the stairs and made a beeline for Edward's room before anyone could comment. Esme's gasp of astonishment and pain didn't go unnoticed however, and as Bella threw herself at Edward, just inside his room, she greedily drew in great gulps of unneeded oxygen in an attempt to ward off the sobs she knew were right there waiting to come out.

"Shhh," he told her. "It's okay," he soothed, rubbing her back. "You're so brave," he told her softly as he kissed her hair. It was a hell of a way to announce to her family that she was moving out, but she'd done it her way and he was proud of her all the same.

"I didn't mean to say that," she croaked against his chest. "I'm so sorry, I lost it."

"It doesn't matter," he told her truthfully. "It wasn't a secret and the family were going to find out pretty soon because I need a word with them all anyway," he chuckled as light heartedly as he could. Holding her at arm's length he smiled down at her, "They'll understand," he croons as she attempts a smile of her own.

Nodding just once Bella got up onto her toes and kissed the corner of his mouth, "Thank you," she tells him, though he has no idea what for. "I need a word with them all too, but not until the Denali's are gone."

Nodding in agreement Edward kisses her just once more and then moves away. "Run and get changed and then come back, I want to show you something while we wait." Bella hit the road fast. She shed his clothing and dragged on a pair of jeans and a jersey of her own in record time. She was back in his room in seconds and it made Edward chuckle. "It's nothing amazing," he laughed, "you needn't have tried to set a personal best."

Following his invitation to sit on the sofa by his windows Bella grinned as she moved across his space, "FYI, I can take them off faster than I can put them on," she chuckled as she took the proffered seat.

"Jesus," he cursed as he ran a hand through his hair. "You switch moods so fast," he chuckled. Crossing to the sofa he sank down onto it with her. Swiping a stray hair off her forehead he smiled, "Here, take a look at this," he told her as he pulled his journal off the desk beside where they sat.

He put it into her hands and nodded when she balked at opening it. "But these are your private thoughts," she protested when he insisted she open it.

"Open it to the marker, please," he urged. She did and as she scanned the page Edward spoke quietly to her. "That's what I was thinking the day I moved here, after we'd been to the beach that first time. That's all the things I wanted to tell you and show you but couldn't because I was sure you hated me. You can see from the date, and all the filled in pages since then, that I wrote that my first night here. I didn't understand you then and I probably didn't really understand myself either if I'm honest, but you can see that at the same time, on the same day, we were thinking alike."

"We were," she whispered. "God, I wasted so much time."

"No," Edward told her gently. "You needed the time to make right in your head how you felt. It doesn't matter how it came about, or how it sorted itself out, all that matters is that it did."

"Do you really feel that way?" she asked.

"If I said it I meant it," he replies firmly. "I don't like games, Bella. I understand them because I've had so many years of being on the periphery socially, but I don't like them. They're a waste of time and nobody wins those games. I wanted you to see this because I want today to be a new start for us. No more games, from either of us, please?"

Closing the journal and holding it in her lap Bella nodded and looked up to him with a smile. "No more games," she affirmed quietly.

Quite aware that they could be heard they chose to just sit silently, Bella with her back to Edward's chest on the sofa, and wait for the family to finish their goodbyes to the sisters. There was a little scurrying about while they gathered all of their belongings but it was only ten minutes before the family's goodbyes could be heard from the driveway. The pair watched the three horrible women run down the drive and out onto the road. They wouldn't run and swim all the way to Alaska but they would run to Port Angeles and get on a ferry from there.

The house became silent after they'd left and both Bella and Edward took a few extra minutes to decide what they were going to say, and who to say it to first.

"As a group or do you want to split them up?" Edward asked, grinning. When Bella shrugged he squeezed her hand. "Hey," he prodded, "let's do it together? Fresh start and all that?"

Bella nodded but as they made their way back to the living room she began to bite her bottom lip. Yelling at the sisters she could handle easily but knowing she'd already upset Esme made Bella apprehensive. She owed Esme everything she had and she didn't want to cause her any pain. But she also needed to explain herself and as the pair stepped off the bottom step she squared her shoulders, let her bottom lip slip from between her teeth, squeezed Edward's hand and mentally put her big girl panties on.

Edward, out of his peripheral vision, noticed her shoulders rise and her posture change and he was all at once very proud of her. This was going to be hard and not just because she was going to formally announce that they were both leaving, but because this was her family and she felt as though they'd let her down.

With one last squeeze of Edward's hand Bella took the stage. "Everything I said to the cousins is relevant to all of you," she began steadily. "As my family I deserved better from you, but so did Edward. As head of our coven," she addressed Carlisle specifically, "you had a responsibility to us both. I might have known what a mate was but you knew I was struggling with the concept. You should've made an effort to talk to me about that. And before you say I should've made an effort to seek you out, I know that too. But your experience both as a mate and as a vampire are so far over and above mine. When I didn't come to you you should've sought me out."

"You're right," Carlisle replied easily. His actions and his decision making processes had let her down and he was man enough to admit it. "I've apologised to you for bringing the girls here but not to you, Edward. I am terribly sorry. It was a mistake."

Edward nodded simply but made no comment. Bella had the floor.

"As my brothers and sisters," she said to the two pairs, "you should have protected me from their games, not encourage them."

"We're so sorry, aren't we guys?" Alice asked the others who were nodding emphatically.

"Thank you," Bella told her siblings and meant it. "And mom," she turned to Esme, "you more than anyone had to know how lost I was. You know me better than anyone and you must have seen what was going on for me. I'm so angry with you," Bella hissed as Esme began to nod sadly. "I'll get over it, but I wanted you to know how angry I am."

"I'm so sorry sweetheart," was all Esme could say.

Bella was spent and Edward knew it. The few days prior had been an emotional rollercoaster for both of them but especially for Bella. She'd fought her feelings all the way and had had to do it alone. So had he, but he'd always been alone. Bella hadn't. She'd always had the support of her family. Squeezing her hand tightly Edward brought it to his lips and kissed her knuckles gently before letting them fall back between them.

Staring at the people who'd taken him in when he'd been in need Edward felt a wave of strength engulf him. These people had given him a chance to become what he was, and he was grateful, but they'd also almost lost him his greatest treasure.

The old Eddie Masen Junior would've taken one look at the pain etched onto Bella's features and run, tail between his legs, away from the conflict in front of him. The old him would've wanted to take her away from it, not confront it head on. The old Eddie would've accepted their betrayal and tucked it away into the recesses of his mind to use as a reference later on but would've never attempted to call them on it.

The new Edward Cullen was a different beast, however.

"You told me you didn't know me well enough to sit me down and tell me about being a mate," Edward nodded towards Jasper. "Well that's bullshit," he barked. "Every fucking one of you had no problem telling me all the things I couldn't do now that I was a vampire," he spat. "You can't go back to work Eddie, you can't live in your own home Eddie, you can't do this, you can't do that. Not once did any of you tell me any of the things I could do and that included taking a mate!" he raged, hitting his stride. Bella was squeezing his hand rhythmically and he wanted to thank her for the support, but he was too angry. "If I was still a human I'd tell you all to go fuck yourselves, but I'm not a human anymore and you're going to be my family forever now. So I won't tell you to fuck off and I won't say I want nothing to do with any of you because that isn't true. But don't think for one minute it hasn't crossed my mind," he spat. "None of you played a part in making me this," he spat as he waved his hand in front of himself, "but none of you played a part in helping me become what I am either. I'm Bella's mate. You all knew, or you all suspected anyway. And you said nothing. Not a fucking thing. Bringing the cousins here was fucking ridiculous and you all know it. It was mean and petty and childish and it nearly lost me my mate. Think about that. Think about how much it would kill you, and I know now that it would, how much would it kill you to lose a mate that way before you even had a chance to have one? Don't feel good because it all worked out either. Don't you dare feel proud of it. Don't you fucking dare retire to your suites tonight and think you did a good thing forcing us to confront our feelings for one another the way you did. I did it, not you. I did this myself. Dorky, nerdy orphaned Eddie Masen the big joke worked it out for himself without your fucking help. Socially inept, teasable useless Eddie Masen claimed my mate _despite_ your interference," he bellowed. "I'm grateful for all you've done for me and I'm grateful that you gave me sanctuary when I needed it, but when I needed your understanding you denied me. When I needed an explanation you all kept quiet."

Carlisle was aghast. He'd had no idea the depth of Edward's pain. He'd had no idea that in the short time he'd been with them that he'd grown so much, changed so much. He'd had no idea because he'd never really gotten past his initial assessment of the human he'd been. Inept, awkward, stubborn Eddie Masen had turned into a confident, determined and dominant vampire and Carlisle was astounded and ashamed because Edward was right, none of them had played a part in that change. They'd all left him to flounder. "I'm so sorry I let you down, son. It was me who offered you sanctuary here and I let you down," he said as he got to his feet and offered his hand to his son. "Please, forgive me my hand in all this?" he asked.

Edward shook the proffered hand readily. He'd had his say and he was gracious enough to accept the apologies that were now going to be offered to him, just as Bella had predicted. Edward wasn't a stubborn man and he didn't hold grudges. "I forgive you. I learnt valuable lessons here and for that I thank you," he told a contrite Carlisle.

Jasper offered his hand too and once Edward had accepted his apology he clapped him on the back and told him congratulations on finding his mate. Emmett did the same, but exchanged the clap on the back for a fist bump. Rose hugged Edward hard, kissed his cheek, announced how sorry she was for her part in it all and then she too offered her congratulations on the union. Alice did the same though after the hug she ruffled his hair.

And that just left Esme who looked close to tears even though none would ever come. "I'm so sorry," she told Edward but didn't get up. "I'm so, so sorry. If I'd known that the choices I made would cause the two of you so much pain I'd never have considered it," she whispered. "We've driven you out," she sobbed. Without looking up from where her hands were clasped in her lap she began to whisper, "Are you both leaving us?" she asked.

With a brief look to Bella Edward answered for them both. "Yes, we are," he told her.

"Because of the way we've handled this?" Esme asked in a choked voice.

Bella squeezed Edward's hand and then let it go. She went to where her mother sat on the sofa. "No, not because of any of that. That's over now. Done. Ancient history. We've had our say and that's an end to it. We're going to live at Edward's family home because we need some time on our own to get to know one another, that's all," she told a visibly distressed Esme.

Staring beyond Bella to where Edward stood Esme's anguished expression tore at Edward's heart. "Do you have to go right now though?" she asked fearfully. "The house is empty and you said yourself it needs some work."

Seeing the desperation on her face Edward's resolve to leave right then and there waned. He didn't want to hurt them even though he could probably personally justify doing exactly that. But this was his family now and Bella was right. They'd had their say, made their feelings known on the whole sorry episode and that could be put away now. "No, we don't have to go right away," he agreed.

Edward watched Bella whip her head around and expected to see either an angry expression or one that said 'god you fold easy, pussy boy' but he saw neither. She was smiling, wide. She mouthed 'thank you' and then turned back to Esme. "We'll stay, but only but only until the repairs are finished at _our_ home," Bella announced on behalf of them both. "Will you help Edward with the paperwork, Jaz?" she asked her frantically nodding brother. "There are a few construction things that need doing, you up for that Em?" she asked her other already frantically nodding brother. Turning to Alice, who was already grinning, Bella shook her head knowing that Alice was already squealing inside her own head and had probably predicted what she was about to be asked. "You up for a spot of shopping?" Bella deadpanned in Alice' direction.

"Of course, oh it'll be so much fun," Alice trilled.

"Can I help too?" Rose asked nervously. It wasn't often that Rose had anything to bring to the table in these situations.

"I have a special task for you if you're interested?" Edward interjected before Bella could offer her anything. "But it's a secret, so I'll talk to you about that in private," he told a grinning Rose.

"Whatever you need," Rose told him excitedly.

Bella just stared at Edward. She had no idea what he was planning but the fluttery feeling in her belly made her think it was something good. Edward wasn't a secretive kind of guy. In fact, he'd reminded her often not to keep secrets and to just say whatever she felt or meant. And Bella hated secrets and surprises, this would be both. "Wanna share?" she asked a smug looking Edward who shook his head.

"What can I do?" Carlisle asked, breaking the visual link between the new couple and making Bella turn her attention to her father.

"Allow me," Edward chuckled as Bella once again opened her mouth to offer a task. "I have something only you can do for us, but it's private too," he laughed at Bella's soft growl.

"I'm intrigued," Carlisle grinned in reply. "You know where to find me," he told a nodding Edward.

Bella, pissed off at being left in the dark – but not for one second seeing the irony in that – threw the evil eye at her mate and turned back to her mother, determined to offer her something before he did. "Will you help me decorate my new home?" she asked expectantly.

"Oh sweetheart," Esme sobbed and drew her daughter into her arms. "Of course I will. I'll miss you, but I'm so happy for you all the same."

"I'll miss you too," Bella told her mother. "But we aren't far."

"No, you aren't," Esme agreed as she shifted out of the embrace. Over Bella's shoulder she looked to Edward, "Are you sure about this?" she asked. "I'm sure you'll cope beautifully, you're so very strong," she told him kindly, "but please be careful."

"I will, and Bella will be there to make sure I am," Edward told her.

With the discussion coming to its logical conclusion Emmett leapt up from the sofa. Thinking he was just going to take his mate to his suite now that it was getting dark outside Edward shifted aside to let his brother leave the room. But Emmett wasn't retiring for the evening. He tossed his head in the direction of the backdoor after throwing a 'look' to Jasper, who stood as well.

"Where are we going, bro?" Jasper asked.

"You'll see," Emmett told Jasper as he moved towards the door. Edward, thinking they were going off hunting threw them a wave. "I'd invite you along, dude," Emmett said with a grin as he held the door open after Jasper had gone through it, "but you've seen the damage for yourself already," he grinned.

With that the two boys took off down the yard and into the trees.

"What are they on about?" Edward muttered to the rest of the group.

Carlisle, chuckling to himself got to his feet and moved to Edward's side. With a loud clap on his new son's shoulder Carlisle explained. "They've gone to see the damage you two did to that house," he laughed.

"Motherfucker," Edward huffed as the others fell about.

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**A/N: Thank you for reading. **

**Please review. **


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Sorry this took a few extra days. RL got a little busy :)**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so diligently, I haven't forgotten you and intend to reply to all of you tomorrow morning as I have the day off. **

* * *

Emmett and Jasper were not prepared to see the extent of the damage in the Masen house. They'd figured they'd see a few scuff marks by the headboard of his bed, perhaps the sheets would have a tear or two and maybe, at worst, a dented door frame or two bearing Edward's hand marks.

But as they took a tour of the little house neither of them could reconcile what they could see with who they knew their brother and sister to be.

"Bella did this?" Emmett asked a gaping Jasper as they inspected the entrenched fingernail marks in the kitchen counter.

"Must have, not wide enough to be Ed's fingers," Jasper muttered as he laid his hand onto the pattern and shook his head. "Jesus," he mumbled, leaving the kitchen and moving down the hallway. "Check this out," he called to Emmett who was busy tutting and muttering over the damage to the wall in exactly the same shape and height of his little sisters shoulders.

"Can't be any worse than that wall," he growled and pointed to the living room wall and nodded in triumph when Jasper's eyes widened in recognition of what he was seeing. "Oh shit, maybe it can be," he hissed as he looked down at the floor where Jasper was standing. The entire length of the hall had two deeply scored track marks, five inches apart that ran from the living room archway to the bathroom door. "What the fuck did they do?" he asked rhetorically, "They drag a dead body through here or something?" he asked a still dazed Jasper.

"She's alive and well," Jasper mumbled, making Em shake his head because that made no sense. "Dude, Bella's alive and well and I don't smell death," he told a still confused Emmett. "They're from his toes," Jasper hissed and pointed to the track marks. But Emmett still didn't get it. "Jesus dumbass. They're marks from Ed's toes. Traction, bro. They didn't drag a dead body up here, he ploughed her through here," he winced.

"Oh," Emmett said quietly, "OH!" he bellowed when he finally got it. "Oh for fucks sake, that's just nasty...I mean, she's our sister...I mean, shit dude."

But Jasper wasn't listening. He'd moved on down the hall and was standing inside Edward's childhood bedroom muttering darkly to himself. 'That dirty, filthy, no good son of a bitch. Innocent my ass,' he muttered then called for Emmett to come look.

"Do I want to look, bro?" Emmett asked cautiously just outside the door.

"I did and I don't want to be the only one with this image in my head, man. So get your ass in here and take half my burden," Jasper berated his normally unflappable sidekick.

"I thought he still had his V card?" Emmett asked a shrugging Jasper as he moved into the room and took in the destruction. "That's what the cousins said. They said they could tell just by looking at someone. Kate said he was Grade A virgin meat."

"I think he well and truly handed in his V card last night, dude," Jasper mumbled as he kicked a piece of the headboard out of his way. "Looks like he might've done it in style too bro," he grumbled as Emmett held up what was left of the mattress for Jasper to see. "I say we head home and start making plans to put this place right," he said to an already nodding Emmett.

"Esme will throw a fit if they trash our place this bad," he hissed as they moved back into the living room. "She did when Rosie and I did," he chuckled.

"I don't think I wanna listen to my sister getting roughed up every night, bro," Jasper muttered as he pulled the front door shut behind himself.

"Me either," Emmett shuddered at the thought.

"You get moving on construction shit, right?" Jasper asked a frantically nodding Emmett as they jogged along the residential street heading for the forest and home. "I'll get the paperwork and utilities moving. We gotta get them outta our place fast if they're gonna do shit like this, dude."

"Yeah," Emmett agreed as they hit the tree line and broke into a full on run. "Although," he grinned a few minutes later, "A couple weeks of newborn lust in the house could be fun."

Thinking on it for a full minute Jasper replied with a grin of his own. "Yeah. We don't really need to bust our balls on the reno," he grinned. "I think I could handle a couple weeks of feral yearning about the place."

Emmett held his fist out to his side and as Jasper bumped his to it both brothers began to really chuckle hard. "I think I can stretch it out to two months, tops," he told his brother.

"I think I can help you stretch that out, bro," Jasper cackled as they headed north and home.

Nothing horrid was said when the two brothers returned to the house. Edward's worry over what they were likely to say, and imply, had seemingly been for nothing. They merely entered the house as normal, nodded to the family and made their way to where Edward sat with Bella in his lap on the sofa.

"All fixable," Emmett told an anxious Edward. And that had been the only comment made. No snide remarks, no teasing, no innuendos and no sly looks or raised eyebrows.

It was an odd reaction from two boys who would normally relish any opportunity to rag on Edward about his sexual proclivities but none of the others dared to pass comment. As far as Carlisle and Esme were concerned the less they were told about the state of the place the happier they'd be. Alice and Rose weren't too keen to learn any details about the deflowering of their newest brother either and so the subject was dropped before it was even begun.

As the pairs headed to their suites later that night Edward and Bella made their way up the stairs too. The simple act of approaching the landing made them both smile. Edward because he'd been his boldest there, and Bella because she knew they wouldn't part when they reached it this time.

"You won our race today," she giggled coyly, "name your prize."

"You," he said without hesitation. Pulling her to him using the hem of her jersey he grinned down at her. "You get to choose where," he winked.

"Yours," Bella whispered simply.

"Mine," Edward smiled in agreement. It didn't matter to him where they were, as long as they were there together. But he did want to know why she'd chosen his room over hers. "Can I ask why though?"

Stepping up to him, raising an eyebrow until he'd backed up against wall just as he used to do to her, Bella pressed herself against his body. "I spent the whole time you lived here hiding in my room desperate for some sense of what you were doing in your room," she breathed into his ear, making him shiver violently. "I want to watch you in your own space."

Craning his neck as she nipped at his throat Edward began to groan. "Gather what you need," he told her gruffly.

"Nothing," she huffed into his ear. "I need nothing but you."

Closing his eyes at the words Edward spared half a second to thank god for this woman. Folding his arms around her shoulders he leaned down slightly and kissed her softly. "Come to bed," he murmured against her lips.

With an arm around her shoulders Edward lead her into the room and guided her into his bathroom. Pulling a new toothbrush from its packaging he passed it to her and took up his own already almost ruined one. He had boxes and boxes of them, he went through three a day and it was a habit he couldn't seem to give up. She watched him in the mirror as she brushed her own teeth futilely and smiled when he wore the bristles on the first brush down to stumps then withdrew another from the box. Neither of them would ever get gum disease and tooth decay was impossible too, but what she once saw as an annoying ritual left over from his OCD riddled human existence she now found utterly adorable. There was a bit of Eddie left inside him after all she thought as she spat the toothpaste into the basin and threw her own ruined brush into the trash can beside the vanity.

"We should invest in Colgate shares," he laughed as he threw the second ruined brush away.

"If you go through two a night then yeah," she giggled.

"Sometimes three," he chuckled as he took her hand and tugged until she followed him back out into the bedroom. When they got to the side of the bed Edward turned and manoeuvred her until she was facing him, with the back of her legs up against the mattress. Leaning slightly over her Edward kissed the corner of her mouth before whispering, "We can go for a run if you don't want to be here with the others when they ..." he trailed off, embarrassed.

"We can, if you don't want to be here," she whispered against his lips.

"I want to be here," he tells her quite firmly. His embarrassment is for the rest of the family, not for himself. Twenty four hours ago he'd been a virgin and he was about to make love to his mate in what was essentially their family home with their parents quite capable of hearing every sound they made. No, his embarrassment wasn't for himself, it was for the others. She was their daughter and had been for a very long time. She'd never had sex since coming to be their daughter and they were now going to have to listen as she did. "I want us to be here because we'll have to be a little more quiet," he groaned against her mouth as he slid his hands over her hips and up under her jersey at her back. The prickle as his flesh met hers made them both shiver. Moving them up her back, dragging the shirt up her sides as he did so, Edward traced the line of her spine with his fingertips. "I want us to be here because I can take my time and explore every inch of your beautiful body in a comfortable bed," he moaned against her throat as she tilted her head back to give him access. "I want to reclaim you here because it's normal. I want to have you here because this is my territory and I want to make sure that everything in this room holds your scent," he said over and above her panting.

"Yes," was all she could say and that came from a thickened, venom coated throat.

With his hands already under her jersey it was a simple thing to hook his thumbs into the hem and pull it off over her head. Bare beneath it, because her breasts would forever be pert and youthful, Edward stared down at her naked skin. "So beautiful," he murmured into her collarbone. Trailing his fingers up her back and then up her sides he flicked his tongue across the hollow of her throat. "Is it normal to want to lick every inch of your body, coat you with my venom and to want others to see it and smell it?" he asked gruffly as his feelings of possession flooded his system.

"I don't know," Bella mumbled, lost in the sensation of his lips on her skin.

Chuckling against her breast bone Edward licked his lips and stood up to meet her eyes. "I finally asked a sex question you don't know the answer to?" he asked, pleased. When Bella grinned simply and shrugged Edward felt a rush of venom at the thought of them discovering the unknown for themselves.

Sliding to his knees he placed a row of soft kisses across the flat expanse of her lower belly. Bella slid her hands into his hair and closed her eyes. Rolling the waistband of her yoga pants down over itself Edward kissed lower and lower until he was kissing right above her pubic hair. The closer he got the more insistent her ministrations to his copper locks became.

Tugging at the pants until they were at her knees Edward closed his eyes and drank in her scent. "Skirts," he muttered as he divested her of them fully. Standing once again he drew her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. Stepping to his side he pulled the covers on his bed back and motioned for her to get in.

She didn't hesitate and crawled into the centre of the enormous bed and settled on the pillows there. She watched him, bottom lip drawn between her teeth, as he shucked his own clothing unceremoniously. She bit down a little harder as his pants disappeared and his hard, marble-like length became visible.

On his hands and knees he stalked toward her up the length of the bed and when he was eye to eye with her glistening sex he involuntarily growled and licked his bottom lip. Doing his best to keep calm, but utterly determined to taste her, he stared down at her hungrily. "I have no idea what I'm doing," he told a shaking Bella.

The prolonged anticipation was almost unbearable as she watched his gorgeous face. Reaching down the length of her own body she touched a fingertip to his cheek and as he looked up at her she smiled. "Nobody's ever...," she admitted nervously, "well, you know," she told him. "So I've no expectations. But if you don't touch me soon I'll combust," she drawled as she withdrew her finger and plopped back down onto the pillows.

Invitation and permission issued Edward literally took the plunge. With his fingers digging into her hip bones to steady her and to give him some semblance of stability too he buried his nose in her heat. Closing his eyes he drank in her scent. "My god," he groaned hastily before swiping his tongue up between her swollen lips. Pushing his tongue to his palate he savoured her flavour before delving his tongue back along her outer lips and up towards her clit. She bucked and growled as he flicked over the ripe bud and grinned to himself in triumph. Growing in confidence and desperate to feel her climax with his tongue he slid his hands down her thighs and used his thumbs to spread her lips wide.

With a prowess she doubted he knew he possessed Edward drove her on towards that release easily. Each swipe of his tongue, each caress of his thumb and with each growling moan he made deep in his throat against her clit she climbed higher and got closer to oblivion.

Clutching at his hair, pushing her hips harder into his face, moaning his name Bella begged for more. More friction, more tongue, more teeth. And each time she did he gave her what she asked for. He rubbed along her folds with his thumbs a little harder. He pressed his tongue to the underside of her clit with a little more pressure and he raked his teeth against that sensitive little nub time and time again until Bella was seeing stars.

She tried to throttle the dizzying current racing through her system but the only escape from it was her impending release. Warning him it was imminent she closed her eyes, removed her hands from his hair and fisted his sheets at her side.

Her thoughts fragmented as his hands and mouth continued their rampage on her body and as she spiralled out of control and the deeply satisfying spasms began at her core she called his name through gritted teeth and welcomed the fall.

Edward watched, fascinated and proud, as she came apart for him. He released her clit from between his lips with a loud pop and pulled away slightly to watch as her body convulsed. He'd expected it to be just her sex that spasmed, but that wasn't the case at all. Her whole body shook. Her stomach muscles clenched and flexed and her knees locked and unlocked as she writhed through her orgasm.

"Beautiful," he whispered as he watched her. "Ambrosia," he mumbled as he licked his lips. "Mine," he growled as her lips dripped his name in a breathy sigh.

For the first time in her vampire life Bella welcomed the sounds of her family sating themselves. It gave her the freedom to do the same. To her it meant that she was finally grown up. It meant that she was like they were, a mate a lover and in love. Hearing them loving one another, re-staking claims on their mates and then the gentle sounds of murmured promises made her happy and calm for the first time in as long as she could remember.

For Edward it was a similar reaction. He'd never truly fit anywhere but with other vampires he found a kinship that had been missing from his existence. Losing himself in her body and watching her lose herself in return with his gave him a great sense of accomplishment where none had existed before. He was finally a man. A man with a mate and a lover and with someone he could indulge every one of his newly heightened senses without his naturally self conscious tendencies making him over-think each response she made. His responses to her were natural surrounded as he was by others of his kind. His reactions to things made sense in the context of other vampires. His battles emotionally had all been fought and won by others and that gave him a sense of belonging.

On the surface he was still Eddie Masen Junior but underneath he was all vampire. In public he'd revert to type and be the book loving, somewhat eccentric gentleman with impeccable manners but in private he could be exactly what he was. An aggressive, possessive creature with a need to satiate himself and assert his dominance over his mate.

And as far as Bella was concerned that's exactly what she wanted and needed him to be. Curled around him, basking in the glow that is the love between mates, she told him exactly what she was feeling and thinking. Safe in his embrace, his lips at her throat, she told him all the things she adored about him and when she could take no more and his gentle ministrations stoked the gently building fire inside her she begged him to take her again.

00~00

Things happened fast after what came to be known the 'Declaration of Dependence'. Bella giggled softly whenever someone referred to the day she'd acknowledged Edward as her mate, but Edward himself scowled at the term. He had no problem being dependent on Bella. He'd known for quite a while that his happiness was now going to be wrapped up with hers, but he was worried because if the same was true for her he really had no idea how to make her happy long term.

Sexually he reasoned he was doing well. She responded to his touch and never seemed to want to be far from him during the night time hours, but during the day he found it hard to find ways to be close to her emotionally and physically. He needed her and wanted her day and night, regardless of who was around. He growled and snapped, hissed and snarled if anyone touched her, however innocently, and felt that he was as emotionally overwrought as he'd been before they'd consummated the union.

He'd been sure that once he was secure in the knowledge that she loved him he'd calm down. He couldn't understand why he hadn't and he didn't know why he felt even more possessive of her.

Wrapped in each other's arms, or indulging their twin thirsts – for blood and for the body of their mate – he felt confident she was content. But during the day, when he couldn't reasonably manufacture a reason to touch her, he wasn't quite so sure.

It wasn't that she balked at being near him, she didn't. She didn't pull away when he touched her with the others around, but she didn't seek him out either. He thought he might crave her attention far more than she craved his and that hurt. Just a little. He wanted her undivided attention and he knew that wasn't reasonable, but why didn't she seem as desperate to command his?

But Bella did crave Edward's touch. She _was_ content. She _was_ happy. But she was also frustrated by having to wait for the repairs to be done at the Masen house and was being as patient as she possibly could as she waited for the day they could live there alone.

She'd been a vampire a lot longer than he had and had learned to be as humans were during the day or when in company. That meant trying to contain her need to be alone with him and performing her daily tasks as a human would. The other Cullen pairs were affectionate but did not go out of their way to create situations where they could be alone in group situations. Therefore Bella misinterpreted her feelings of frustration and believed they stemmed only from the slow progress on their house.

Had she asked one of the others they'd have told her that her frustration had nothing to do with the house. She'd been changed _after_ the other pairs had taken mates. She'd never seen the ravenous, snarling possessive beasts that her brothers turned into in the first few years of being mated. She'd never lived with the women who had been little more than nymphomaniacs when newly mated themselves.

Moving about the property on a day to day basis Edward and Bella crossed paths regularly. Even with the tasks they'd set themselves regarding the house and the store there were many times throughout the daylight hours when they could've snuck off to be alone but Bella didn't know that Edward was disappointed that she showed no need to do so, and Bella thought she shouldn't need it for herself.

This time, seeing the pair struggling, the family did take them aside. Jasper, knowing Edward a little better than the others, asked his brother to hunt one afternoon and his invitation was gratefully accepted. Alice, thankful for the opportunity to take Bella aside, asked her sister to hunt too.

The two pairs tore off into the forest in opposite directions but both pairs had almost identical conversations once their thirsts were slaked.

Jasper carefully asked Edward how he was feeling and was surprised and encouraged when he began to rant and rave. Alice, bolder and a whole lot more blunt than Jasper, simply told her sister to spill her guts and Bella, being Bella, began a rant of her own without any further prompting.

The problem was simple and the solution even simpler. The pair was newly mated and they wanted to spend every second of every day naked and touching each other. They both wanted the Masen house finished quickly but neither of them wanted to take the time away from one another to see it done. They wanted to be a part of the larger family but didn't want to take time away from one another to join in.

It was normal, it was natural and both Alice and Jasper told them so. Yes the feelings were intense. Yes their opposite number would be feeling the same things. Yes it would take a decade to fade to a more reasonable level, if it ever did, and yes everyone knew about it and understood how they were feeling.

In fact, every other Cullen was impressed that they'd seen as much of the pair as they had in the previous days and weeks. When Rose had first found Emmett they had been missing in action for seven months and even now Alice and Jasper took off for weeks on end when the intensity of their feelings felt as though they couldn't be contained.

Bella was relieved to hear what Alice had to say on it and Edward had ended his discussion with Jasper with deep gratitude. Bella wasn't avoiding him, she probably felt just as he did. Edward was struggling but doing a better job of hiding it as far as Bella was concerned.

In reality they hadn't progressed very far from the fearful, self conscious young adults they really were. Both sides of the equation had difficulty expressing themselves when it came to real emotions unless anger and frustration played a part and, at least on Edward's part, he'd felt that his feelings were a symptom of his newborn status, not something that was inherent in them all.

As both pairs met on the path that led back to the Cullen property Alice and Jasper slipped away unnoticed by the other couple who were circling one another like caged beasts within seconds.

"This is normal," Edward told Bella as he paced around her. "I want you all the fucking time. I want you naked all the fucking time. I want you under me, on me, beside me, above me...hell any fucking way you'll let me have you I want you, all the time, and it's normal."

Relieved to hear him say it, and grateful that he'd voiced it first, Bella turned in her smaller circle watching her out of control mate with awe. He was being so open with the way he felt and she vowed to work harder to be the same. "It is normal, Alice told me," she agreed firmly. "I feel it too. I want it too. I thought I shouldn't want to, but it's normal," she snarled not at him but from within herself. All the frustration she'd been holding onto was flooding her system and turning that unnecessary energy into aggression and as Edward watched her pace he began to harden in his jeans. "I don't want to share you," she hissed, still turning. "Not with anyone and that includes the fucking family. I don't want them to touch you, fuck I don't want them to look at you!" she roared.

"Yes!" Edward hissed to himself when she voiced what he'd been thinking. "I thought you didn't need me like I need you," he raged though he wasn't angry at her and he wasn't angry at himself. He was just as frustrated as she was and learning that it had been a futile waste of time didn't ease the frustration, it just made him want her more, to make up for the time they'd wasted. "I thought you were avoiding me during the day," he told Bella who was hissing her displeasure at the thought. "I thought I should only want you at night, like the others when they retire to their suites. I thought that we should be able to control ourselves during the day and that it was just me feeling this way," he said, waving a hand down the length of his body to punctuate his point.

Following the movement of his hands Bella involuntarily licked her lips as she stared at the bugle in his pants. "Christ," she all but moaned as she stopped turning. "What a fucking pair we are," she growled as she stared at his hands which were clenching and unclenching at his sides as he slowed his pacing. "I thought you were just better at hiding your need than I was. I felt stupid because I'm not good at it!"

"Hiding my need for you?" he growled and palmed himself. "Does this look like I have any fucking control?" he bellowed into the forest. "I have none, none! And I felt an idiot for it! I've spent days wondering why you didn't feel like I did, wondering how you were so easily able to go about your business."

"I can't," she whispered as she watched his fingers snaked around his girth. The movement looked involuntary, as though he couldn't control the impulse and unable to stop now he'd begun. "I can't just go about 'business'," she hissed. "I can't control it either. I thought you...Jesus, Edward!" she hissed as he gripped himself more firmly and tugged a little. "I'm telling you I had no idea you felt the same," she said sternly and with the words so closely compacted together they were barely individual sounds. "Now that I do I want to have that," she nodded towards his crotch.

Closing his eyes and drinking in her scent Edward moaned, deeply relieved they felt the same after all. "Then take it," he challenged her as he opened his eyes and stared down at her hungrily.

And take it she did. She pounced within a heartbeat of the words leaving his lips and she took him right there on the forest floor. She bit, she chewed, she pushed and pulled and she rode him into oblivion and when they were both spent she collapsed onto his chest and sighed the sigh of a very content woman.

Promises were made. Whispered declarations that they'll never assume anything about one another again. Hurried guarantees not to hide and assurances that what they were feeling was completely normal.

That one hurdle overcome the pair settled into a pattern within the Cullen family. They continued work on their projects – Edward the renovations at the house and Bella the buying and fitting of the new furnishings and as a joint project the innovations at the store. But they also dropped anything and everything the instant they felt the need to be close to one another.

Sometimes it was just holding hands or stolen kisses in empty rooms. But at other times they'd needed to slink off into the forest and satiate themselves fully. But the impulses that had drawn them together in the first place were never very far from the surface and it didn't take much to spark them to life. A look, a sound or a smell would set one of them off, and usually both of them off, and they'd stop mid sentence, or mid task, and rush to find the other.

At first the rest of the family thought it was sweet. Adorable really. But after a few group hunts were abandoned by the pair the novelty began to wane for the others. The group became aware of how they'd made Bella feel for a decade, how she'd been alone or abandoned on the hunt herself. When wrestling matches ended with a growling and snarling Edward stomping down the yard to rescue his mate from what was really a fun 'game' the others begged off playing that too. And conversely, when Bella would step right into the middle of what looked like a ferocious battle of strength between the three boys the 'game' would need to be postponed until after she was satisfied with her mates condition. Usually sexually, but not always. In fact any and all physical games became taboo while the new couple were so freshly possessive of one another. Anyone who touched Bella, however inadvertently, was on the receiving end of a vicious beating from Edward. If he couldn't catch them, which was rare, he'd hold a grudge for days on end until he cornered them. The others found it amusing and they loved power games in all forms, but those too were getting a little old. Anyone who looked sideways at Edward, or anyone stupid enough to tease him about his sexual prowess, became the unwilling target of Bella's rampant need to have his attention all to herself. Not as violent as Edward in nature Bella was still a fierce protector and able, willing and needing to defend her mate.

Twice Rose found herself running full tilt into the forest to avoid a rampageous Bella hell bent on revenge for some remark or slight at Edward's expense. Jasper had used the solace and sanctuary of his car to make a quick get away after taunting Edward for the slapping noises heard from the third floor one night. Alice, after making some vulgar suggestions about Edward maybe needing some 'toys' for their new bedroom was rather violently shown the door – or rather she was dumped over the handrail of the third floor landing – and was banished from the floor itself for a whole week by Bella. Emmett's usually outrageous 'shower babies' jokes and jibes were stifled after he nearly lost an ear in one particularly wild fight with Edward. Even Carlisle found himself happy to take on extra shifts in the days leading up to Edward and Bella's departure.

Esme, though, took it all in stride. She never teased or taunted normally and found no reason to do so knowing how the couple were likely to react, so she simply went about her business. She was dreading them leaving but understood why they were. She was the one calming influence on them both.

During the two months since the declaration that they were mates the happy couple existed inside a bubble of very private bliss. There was nothing anyone could say to them that held their interest for long and nothing that the larger group wanted to do that would tear them away from the tasks they'd set themselves. Every ounce of energy they possessed was given over to the store, the house or each other.

When not picking fights with anyone and everyone all focus was channelled towards getting the Masen house 'right'. Everyone wanted them happy and most of them wanted them gone, at least for a little while so that the natural calm inside the Cullen house could return. They would be missed, but their aggression and possessiveness would not. At least not at first. What stopped the three other couples from outright insisting they leave was the knowledge that as soon as they were gone the house was going to be quiet and rather boring.

Bella and Edward worried about leaving too. They wanted to be on their own but the concern over how Edward would do without the safety of having the forest so near to his backdoor – and about the dangers of humans being so near on a daily basis – was a constant source of apprehension for them both.

Being alone was the easy part. They both desired that almost more than anything else. The hard part was learning to live alone with the constant threat of Edward's thirst raging out of control. The logical thinking was that it would remain under control once he was living full time at his own home because there would be nothing and nobody there other than Bella. Nobody to touch her other than himself. Nobody to tease them and no distractions.

The women spent their daylight hours knocking the stuffing out of credit cards on the internet to buy furnishings and linens for the house and the men – including Carlisle which stunned but impressed Edward – used those hours to knock the Masen house into shape.

Jasper and Emmett abandoned their quest to make the renovations on the house stretch out within days of beginning the idiotic scheme. Feeding off the sexual frustrations of the happy couple was fine, but being chased out of the house at all hours of the night for some silly comment or suggestion was getting very old very fast. So work at the Masen house was conducted at a more normal pace and the two brothers let go of their plan to string it out.

Edward sat with Jasper and together they mapped out how to get the Masen house up and running in the name of Cullen. Documents to prove that he owned it were already languishing in the safe in Carlisle's study so all that needed doing was to add Bella's name to the title deed – as per Edward's wishes – and to reconnect all the utilities in his new name.

Bella hadn't been back to the Masen house since they'd first made love in it and that was Edward's wish too. They had very specific ideas and plans as to what the house should become and he wanted it to reflect the new man he was. They both sat with Emmett and discussed the changes, though some things Bella wasn't privy to. It was those changes that Edward had enlisted Rose's help with. So whilst Bella's wishes had been taken into account with most of the house, there was one room where Edward ignored those wishes and another that he'd not let her have an opinion on at all. That room was his parents' bedroom.

Bella assumed he wanted it left alone but he did not, and he didn't tell her what he had planned. He gave a brief outline to Rose who assured him that it would be done and he left it with her to achieve. It would be a surprise for them both when they finally moved in even though Edward had given her a short list of requirements he told Rose to do as she wished within his budget.

There was tension in the Cullen house just once in those two months and as was normal between couples it revolved around that budget. Between vampire couples it took a different twist and revolved around one person having too much money.

Edward's savings wasn't going to stretch between the renovations and innovations he was making to the store _and_ the changes that they both wanted to make to the house, and so an argument had been sparked.

Bella had a sizeable inheritance from her father that she'd never touched and she'd invested it wisely with the help of Jasper, making a tidy profit to boot, and wanted to use that money to help restore the Masen house.

Edward resisted and the fight was on.

His pride had been dented and like so many men before him he believed that it was his responsibility to provide for his partner. Bella bristled because his thinking was so old fashioned. Edward attempted to stand his ground; Bella rocked the ground he was trying to stay upright on. The shouting match that ensued saw the other six inhabitants of the Cullen house heading for the mountains and it left two very angry, stubborn vampires facing off over the kitchen counter one morning.

"I don't want your money," Edward had raged.

"Then it won't be my house," Bella retorted angrily.

"It will be because you're furnishing it and you're going to live in it with me," he'd barked.

"I fucking won't," she hissed.

"You fucking will," he'd responded cockily. "You're my mate and you belong with me. You said that yourself. If I have to take you there kicking and screaming you'll fucking live in it," he growled.

Ignoring her surge of lust at the thought Bella put her hands to her hips and snarled, "Live in it, maybe," she conceded, "but I won't fuck in it!"

"Your argument is invalid," he snarled. He was so turned on by the use of the word 'fuck', and that she was standing up to him, he could hardly see straight. Licking his lips to rid them of his excess venom Edward advanced on her. "You tell yourself that you won't fuck in it little girl," he chuckled darkly into her face. "But within twenty-four hours you'll be begging me to fuck you on every surface and do you know why?" he asked rhetorically. "Because if we didn't have a dime between us you'd still want me. Because living in a humpy in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the clothes on our backs you'd still want me. Sex has nothing to do with money and that house has nothing to do with sex."

Standing tall with her chin held high Bella smirked. She had a trump card and now she knew it. "That is very true," she conceded sweetly. "I'd have you anywhere and anyhow, with or without a dime. And you're right because sex has nothing to do with money. But think about this, Edward _dear_, without my money that house will not be finished and we can't go and live in it. Without my money we'll have to stay here. Without my money thrown into _our_ pot there'll be no screaming your name as I climax, no shouting for you to fuck me harder, or faster, or me crying out your name as you taste me. There'll be no sex on any surface other than your bed or the vanity in your bathroom upstairs. Without accepting _my_ money and making it _our_ money we'll have to stay here. I can't wear my micro miniskirts with no panties on underneath here. Think about _that_."

"Jesus Christ," he said throatily as he ran a hand through his hair. "Jesus fucking Christ," he moaned when he caught a whiff of her aroused scent. And when she cupped her hand and squeezed his junk he moaned her name and caved. Totally capitulated. He gave up, gave in, surrendered and relented within seconds.

So Bella's money became their money and the renovations went ahead as planned.

Money might have nothing to do with sex but Edward came to see that without her money the type of sex he'd be having would forever be quiet and rather tame. Edward the vampire didn't like tame. Edward the vampire liked rough, loud and gymnastically frantic sex. So Edward the vampire accepted a cash injection and Bella the mate accepted several injections of her own as they 'made up'.

Edward ignored the vague ribbing and the light teasing from his family about the extent of the damage that had been inflicted at the house after that argument, but smiled smugly each time it was mentioned. The split and gouged floorboards came up in the living room and once they'd been replaced new carpeting was laid. The whole house was repainted in tones chosen by the women and lorry after lorry of lumber and materials were delivered to accommodate Edward's 'secret surprise'. The task Rose had been given required no new materials so she worked inside the room she'd been assigned without needing the Cullen construction crew present.

Bella pouted when she was banished from the place as Edward and Emmett tore out walls and set to work on one of the secrets. She continued to shop but wasn't allowed near the house itself until Edward was ready to reveal what he'd done.

Emmett, loving the chance to use some of his construction skills, supervised the entire renovation. He gave clear, concise instructions and watched both of his brothers, and his father when time permitted, change the interior of the Masen house into something he could be proud of.

When at last all the jobs had been completed and Alice, Rose and Esme had been to install all of the soft furnishings that had been bought, Edward sought out Carlisle for a private word. Finding him in the study at the Cullen house he asked if Carlisle had the time for a quick run and then, as they ran towards the river, he ran over in his mind what he wanted to ask of his father.

Pacing from nerves rather than anger Edward ran a hand through his hair and tried to gather some inner strength. Nodding just once to himself when he was sure he had the wording right he strode to where Carlisle stood leaning against a boulder.

"I love your daughter with everything I am," he announced to an amused Carlisle. "And I'm fairly certain that I can make her happy. I'd like your permission to ask her to marry me?"

Smiling smugly to himself Carlisle spared a moment to think back on the boy he'd first met in the morgue. Gone was the confusion on his face and his nervous disposition. Gone too was the timid shyness of a socially awkward boy. Instead he saw a man. And a man he liked and loved as a son. There was no hesitation as he held his hand out in front of himself for Edward to shake. There was no hesitation when he agreed that Edward could make his daughter happy and there was no hesitation when Edward asked if he thought Bella would say yes.

"I'm certain that she'll say yes, son," he told a beaming Edward.

* * *

**A/N: It might feel like these two are just about finished, but I have two more little twists to add and then I'll wrap this one up. (I have ideas mapped for two more unrelated stories and I can't wait to get started on one of them which will be a human Edward!)**

**Thank you for reading. **

**Please review. **


	24. Chapter 24

Bella stood trembling with excited anticipation on the porch of the Masen house with an equally excited Edward. Tossing the key out of the palm of his hand he watched Bella snatch it from thin air with a triumphant snigger. "Welcome home," he whispered as she slid it home and turned the brand new handle.

Gasping as she made her way into the house Bella turned and turned as she took in all the modifications. The fireplace had been preserved exactly as it had been but hardly anything else was the same. The room's dimensions hadn't been changed but Esme's practised eye for interior design and the placement of furniture made it look huge. A bevelled mirror hung above the mantle and reflected the room back to the eye. The sofa was low and long making the room itself look longer and the armchair and its matching footstool were placed so that the living room seemed cosy but still spacious.

Gone was the 1950's wallpaper and instead the walls were finished in a creamy coloured render that had both texture and a warmth to its neutral tone. The baseboards were painted cream too and the wall to wall carpeting was a soft inviting cream with a tiny flower motif embedded in it. In the centre of the room was the Perversion rug.

The kitchen had retained its original design too, though everything had been modernised and updated despite the fact that it would never be used for its intended purpose. Plain white appliances abounded and where the remains of the Formica Masen dining suite had been now stood a smaller wooden, circular table with four turned spindle chairs. The countertops had obviously been refinished but their original surfaces had been preserved under a thick layer of polyurethane.

"What do you think?" Edward asked nervously as Bella flitted about and touched every surface.

"It's so beautiful," she told him sincerely. Running her fingers over the kitchen countertop she began to giggle. "Really?" she laughed as she looked more closely at the surface.

"I didn't want to lose them," Edward told her with a chuckle of his own.

"They're really my finger marks?" she asked, still staring down at the counter. Edward confirmed that they were and Bella laughed again. "We'll always remember," she whispered to herself as she ran her hand lovingly across the perfectly flat surface. "What else did you keep?" she asked with a giggle as she looked over all the places she knew they'd left marks or gouges.

"One or two things," Edward chuckled as he nodded towards the hall. Bella made to take off and go and explore the back of the house but Edward called her back momentarily. "This is your house too, and I want you to see everything, but please don't go into my parents room just yet," he told her shyly.

Cocking her head to the side Bella agreed that she wouldn't, but she wasn't happy about the request. So, ignoring it and the misgivings it made her feel, she moved down the hall. The markings that his parents had made as he'd grown in height had been preserved, as had the ceiling roses and the original cornice. Turning left Bella made her way to the bathroom.

"Oh, wow," she crowed as she stood in the doorway. Tapping the wall to her right Bella tried to make sense of what she was seeing. "How did you..." she trailed off as she moved further into the room. It was bigger, much bigger than it used to be. What used to be the exterior wall had been shifted about four feet outward, making the room much longer. The original tub had been refinished but was still right where it had been before. The shower head was gone though, the new tiles smooth and glossy where it had once jutted from the wall. The tiny window that used to be there had been replaced by a huge picture window. The striped curtains she loved so much were gone and in their place was a fabric blind with a pull cord wrapped around a brass fitting. Running her hand over the shiny new countertop she whistled lowly and smiled at her reflection in the gigantic mirror above it.

"We knocked the wall out and used some of the space from the laundry room and the linen closet to make that alcove," Edward told her, startling her from her ruminations.

Looking to the alcove in question Bella squeaked in delight. A glass enclosure had been erected as a shower stall complete with a rainwater jet overhead and two massage jets that came out of the walls at strategic points. "It's gorgeous," she told him as she ran her hand over the chrome fittings on the doors. Turning back towards the centre of the room and taking it all in she smiled. "All of it, it's amazing," she told a widely smiling Edward. "Oh look!" she cried when she noticed the bench seat that had been built into the wall opposite the shower. "You kept them!" she shouted as she clutched a cushion that had been made out of the striped curtains.

Chuckling to himself Edward shook his head. She never ceased to confound him. She'd sneered at the curtains so often in the beginning and now she was positively elated to see that Esme had made them into cushions. She made no sense at all this amazing woman he thought as he backed out of the room and back into the hall. "Come and see our room," he called to her as he came to a stop at the door.

Replacing the cushion on its bench Bella skipped down the hall – throwing the closed door of his parents' bedroom a quick scowl first – and joined him at the entrance to what had been his bedroom. "Star Wars theme?" she asked as he turned the handle on the door.

"Not quite," he chuckled as he stepped aside and let her see for herself.

"But it's mine..." she stuttered as she looked around the room. And it was hers. Her suite at the Cullen house had been transferred to her own home with the help of Alice and Esme's expertise.

They'd listened when Bella had give them her opinion on what their bedroom should be, but after listing all her requirements the women had gone to Edward with the information that Bella had described her 'perfect bedroom' as exactly what she had at the Cullen house. They'd told him then that it had been Bella who'd designed his room there and he'd immediately agreed that they should recreate it in the Masen house. They were so comfortable in their rooms at the family house. The only differences between the two suites had been the colours and so the whole effect had been created for her again, mixing the hues together.

"And now it'll be ours, just here instead," he chuckled as he moved into the centre of the room with her.

"Thank you," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him hard on the mouth. "I love you," she told him against his lips. Breaking the embrace she crossed to the bed and smiled at the steel foot and head boards. "Wanna christen this?" she asked cheekily to a grinning Edward.

"Soon," he told her with a wink. "But there's more for you to explore yet."

Unable to think about what she had left to see Bella looked at him quizzically. "I don't need to see the laundry room," she giggled.

Pointing towards the closed door across the hall Edward nodded to it. "No not the laundry room, though I have to admit it's pretty awesome too," he chuckled, "in there I think you'll find something you might like."

"In your parents room?" Bella asked as she inched closer to the door.

"In what _used_ to be my parents room," he corrected. "And yes, in there."

Now eager to see Bella flew across the hall and flung the door open. There was no verbal reaction this time. No shout or whoop. Her voice was lost as she stood staring at the contents of what used to be Edward's parents bedroom.

This was hers too. Not the room per se, but the content of it was hers. Not all hers, but her things were here. Someone had retrieved the boxes from her storage unit and had turned the room into a space that held almost all of her personal treasures. Her books were lined up neatly in floor to ceiling shelves that took up the entire wall that backed onto the bathroom. A chaise lounge stood in front of those shelves and was draped in the afghan that had sat for so long in Charlie's living room. "This was my dads," she whispered as she fingered the weave lovingly.

More bookcases stood against the adjacent wall and in those stood all of Edward's beloved books. A gap between the shelving housed an old fashioned record player and on top of it on another shelf stood a modern iPod dock and CD player. Rows of discs stood like soldiers above that.

Two low tables stood on either side of an upright piano and their surfaces held more of the treasures from her childhood. Pictures of her family home with her and her father standing proudly in front of it joined portraits from her school years as well as photos of her and her friends from her stint at college when she'd still been human. Mingled amongst her photographic history was his. His parents on their wedding day, a small picture of him as a boy with who could only be his father judging from the copper mop he sported, and a few silver framed portraits of him at various ages. Their lives stood side by side now and it made Bella smile.

There was a tall curio cabinet with leadlight front doors that held the crystal ballerina her father had given her on her seventh birthday and beneath it, on a shelf of its own, was a dark cherry velvet cushion. Stepping closer to see what it held Bella gasped. Charlie's police badge, his medal of service and his wedding ring were all snugly embedded into the material. Another ring, a plain gold wedding band, sat in a small indent off to one side. Further along there was a grooved indentation in the velvet. A long, thin strip left empty.

"Whose ring is that?" Bella asked Edward, who she knew was leaning against the doorframe watching her.

"That's my father's wedding band," he said reverently.

"Oh," Bella said sadly.

"And this other space here?" she asked, pointing to the other empty strip.

"For my fathers watch," he snarled. "It had actually belonged to my grandfather first. It was stolen the night I was changed. I want it back and I'll keep looking for it till I find it."

"Make a sketch of it," Bella suggested, "Show everyone the picture and we'll all look."

"Thank you," he said softly. He'd never considered the idea but it sounded like a good one.

Moving away from the cabinet Bella ran her hand over the piano's surface. "You'll play this, right?" she asked idly.

"If you can stand the din," Edward chuckled as he watched her.

"I doubt it'll be a din," she whispered almost to herself. Under the windows stood a small antique desk that fit the room perfectly. There were leads coming up from behind it that would accommodate a laptop and there was a modern cordless phone on it, but other than that its surface was clear. "And you'll work from here?" she asked without turning to face him.

"For now, yes," he said simply.

"How long until the store's finished?" she asked as she ran her hand over the back of the chaise and stared at all her books.

"A few weeks at the most," he told her. "The new inventory should start to arrive this week."

"Good," she whispered, "I'll start going in during the day and do whatever needs doing until you can go for yourself," she announced. She was suddenly nervous about the room and its contents. She'd known how he felt about it before and couldn't fathom why he'd done all this to it. "Why did you do this?" she asked abruptly. "This was your parents room. I would've understood if you wanted to keep it exactly like it was." She knew that she'd felt no such thing earlier, but now she wondered if she truly should enjoy this amazing space, knowing what he'd given up to let her have it.

Shaking his head in disagreement Edward moved to her side. "No," he told her as he tilted her face up to his with his finger under her chin. "This is our house now. I've kept all her things, don't think I haven't, but they're in storage. This room, their room, is ours now. We can use it to build a life together. We can work in here, read in here, and get to know one another in here. I know we have the living room but others will share that with us when they visit. I wanted this to be just for us, just like it was for my parents."

"Thank you," she told him sincerely. This was what Rose had been working on, she knew. She'd be sure to thank her sister as soon as she could, but right now she wanted to thank her mate. "It's perfect and so are you."

"Hardly," he sniggered as he lowered his lips to hers softly. The kiss was lingering but he was far too nervous to sink into it fully and Bella noticed that immediately. She'd wrapped her arms around his shoulders and was ready to allow her desire for him to swamp her body, but Edward stiffened in her arms.

He kissed her back but he was hesitant. "What is it?" she asked as she stepped away a little.

Shaking his head and doing his best to settle a smile onto his face Edward assured her there was nothing at all wrong. "I'm nervous," he chuckled in what he hoped was his usual tone.

Wanting to believe him Bella stared at his face for reassurance. His smile was almost as it should be but his chuckle had come from a thickened throat. He was either hiding something or he was thirsty. His eyes were light and his pupils weren't dilated so she marked thirsty from her list. "You're lying," she announced as she took another step away from him. "You tell me what's wrong with you right now, Edward," she demanded.

Sighing and running a hasty hand through his hair Edward wondered if it was too late to take acting classes. "There's nothing wrong," he insisted. "Come and stand here, please," he asked her as he tugged her sleeve and brought her to the centre of the room. Keeping her hand in his he used his free hand to delve into his pants pocket and then he knelt in front of her. He took a deep breath that he didn't need and then looked up into her eyes. He'd rehearsed this so many times and now that he was here everything he'd meant to say seemed stupid and not even remotely good enough for her. So he simply said what he needed her to know. "I love you," he told her firmly. "Marry me?" he asked and opened his hand to show her the ring in his palm.

Marriage? Bella's head was awash with fear as she stared down at the ring in his hand. Marriage? She kept running the question through her mind as she stared. Tie herself to him? Give all of herself to him in a human way?

Her parents marriage had been a farce. It had lasted just long enough for her to be conceived and born and then it had meant nothing as her own mother had taken off into the night never to return. The certificate hadn't been worth the paper it was written on.

Her siblings and new parents were married in a traditional sense and those were lasting and concrete. But did she personally need the piece of paper?

Getting the phrasing right for what she needed to say Bella squared her shoulders and looked down into Edward's expectant eyes. Cupping his cheek with her hand she smiled. "We're mates," she whispered softly, "And we love one another. We're already bound far more firmly than any humans could ever be, but there is nothing I want more than to be your wife."

Relief gushed from Edward's system and his anxious smile turned to one of pure joy as he slid his grandmother's engagement ring onto Bella's finger. Nothing needed to be said other than what she'd already voiced. He felt the same. They were mates, they loved and they would marry. She'd bear his name and she'd be his for all of eternity. Turning his lips into her palm he kissed it reverently and thanked her for the extraordinary honour of accepting him as a husband.

Standing, keeping her newly adorned fingers in his, he swept her up into his arms and carried her into their new bedroom. He laid her onto the new bed and then slid down beside her. Rolling onto his side he took her cheeks in his hands and kissed her thoroughly. Her taste excited him. Her scent thrilled him. Her touch at his back ignited him. Her sounds enthralled him and drove him on as he wrung each and every one of them from her.

Their new home was christened in near silence, the only sounds being those that couldn't reasonably be contained inside them as they made love in the steel framed bed. Neither of them wanted to destroy all the work that had been put into putting the house to rights and so it was a slow, gentle affair. More emotional than physical despite the fact that he was inside her and she'd taken him in gratefully.

Knowing the family wouldn't overhear gave them the freedom to be as loud as they wished, and they'd both yearned for that freedom, but now that they were finally alone they loved one another in silence. There would be time enough for roaring and snarling, growling and hissing.

That first night in their new home was about tenderness and a need to show one another that at its height their love was powerful rather than strong in a physical sense. They hadn't discussed it but each of them knew based on instinct that their first coupling in the new house needed to be reverent and meaningful.

They lay in the big bed spent and content for hours, talking about the house and the store and making plans. When they moved into the bathroom to soak in the tub they made more plans and as dawn filled the house with natural light they greeted the new day happy and eager to make the fresh start they'd talked about.

The family arrived en masse as planned at mid morning and by early afternoon they'd each poked and prodded through the new home, pleased with the fruits of their individual labour. Carlisle had known to look for a ring on Bella's finger and had spotted the subtle diamond long before the others did, but did well to raise the proper amount of surprise when Edward announced proudly that they were going to be married.

A hearty round of congratulations was had, the loudest of all from Alice who was already mentally planning the wedding of the century. Bella accepted all the good wished just as proudly as Edward did but spared a few moments longer to bask in the praise from her mother.

When it came time for her to kiss and hug Carlisle she clung to him. She wanted to tell him how thankful she was that he'd chosen her to help the day Eddie had risen but the words never came. Instead she held him tight and luxuriated in his embrace.

When the pair was left alone in the early evening they ran into the forest and slaked their other thirst before returning home and indulging the other. Another evening was spent wrapped around one another planning their future.

All too soon the call came to announce that the deliveries had begun at the store. Bella, loathing every minute of their living room goodbye, did as she promised she would and went to the store to oversee the placement.

She'd never met any of the staff but soon came to learn that they knew all about her. She was surprised and startled to be addressed as 'Mrs Boss' by Lyra and to learn that the two women who ran the shop in Edward's absence were well informed about who and what she was to him.

"Is the boss feeling any better?" Lyra asked as she bent over yet another box and withdrew an armful of books. Realising that Edward had covered his lack of attendance with the fabrication of an illness Bella agreed that he was feeling much better. "Good. He looked a bit better the last time we were on Skype," Lyra commented as she arranged the books on the brand new shelving. "Any idea how long until he can come in himself?" she asked.

"A few more months I'm afraid," Bella told her noncommittally as she too set an armful of books onto the appropriate shelf.

"He told me you'd be coming until he could himself," Lyra said with a smile. "He said you had a literary background too."

Smiling Bella wondered what else he'd divulged to his staff, "I do though I've got nowhere near the experience he does."

"I didn't even know who owned the shop, you know," Lyra said by way of conversation as she slit the bottom of the now empty box and flattened it ready for disposal. "I've been here three years and I'd never met the guy who owned it."

"As long as your check went into the bank right?" Bella laughed as she slit open the next box.

"Totally," the younger woman laughed. "It never bothered me or anything," she added. "I just figured that whoever owned it only had it for an investment."

"He's been ill," Bella told the girl, though she didn't give any time frame for his 'illness' she hoped it would be assumed that his seeming indifference to the day to day goings on in his own store could be attributed to him having been too ill to take a more hands-on approach. "But he's looking forward to coming in as soon as he's better."

"Cool," Lyra said with the ease of youth. "This place is going to be rocking once it's finished," she giggled as she crushed the empty box under her foot.

Looking around Bella had to agree. In the few months since he'd decided to make something of the place he'd done a remarkable job. Just as he had with everything else he'd turned his hand to Bella thought as she made her way to the back storeroom to greet the next delivery.

And so a routine of sorts was forged. Bella would go to the store of a morning and implement personally all she and Edward planned at home. He'd miss her for every second that she was away from him but kept himself busy on business models and with making sure that the purchases he made were smart ones.

In the afternoons they'd either go to the Cullen house to visit with the family or the family would visit them in theirs. Not always all of them, but in pairs or trios they'd interact. Sometimes he and Jasper would sit in the Cullen house and they'd talk turkey about the business. Sometimes he'd indulge Emmett's love of the Xbox and would prostrate himself at the hands of the Call of Duty master, and sometimes he'd help Esme in the kitchen as she baked yet another mountain of foul smelling cakes for charity.

He avoided the girls as much as was polite because they were busy planning his wedding. The date had been set and it gave them exactly one month to plan it all. The day before the store would reopen he and Bella would exchange vows on the lawn at the Cullen house and personally he couldn't wait for it all to be done. As he'd done with the Masen house he'd given a list of his requirements for the day to the sisters and had been assured that they'd be accommodated. Other than that he had no need and felt no compunction to assist unless he was asked. He hadn't been asked so he didn't volunteer.

The details just weren't important to him. He wanted to be married. He wanted Bella to become his wife and bear his name and other than that he didn't care how it was achieved.

Bella did. So while Edward passed the time with the rest of the family she spent time with her sisters planning the ceremony and the reception. As a family they'd talked about who to invite and of course the Denali sisters attending became a matter of discussion. Magnanimous in victory just as he had always been in defeat Edward waved a hand over all the to-ing and fro-ing that went on between the family members at the mention of them actually attending. Getting sick of the constant worry the rest of the family had about it he was finally forced to make his opinion known. He told them, very firmly, that the sisters were family and that if they wished to attend he'd host them as any gentleman should. He held no grudge because he'd won not only the battle but the war as well. He had the spoils of that war at his side and he didn't care one way or another if the sisters chose to attend. After that the planning of the wedding seemed easy.

Apart from suit fittings, choosing and resizing rings and learning his vows everything else was easy for Edward, as it was for most grooms who simply had to show up on the day of the ceremony.

For Bella the process was a little more difficult, but not wholly unsatisfying. Never one for fussy she settled on a simple dress that made her feel feminine and was comfortable. Simple shoes and accessories were found and purchased and then she set about making good on Edward's list of requirements for the day. She had very few of her own apart from the who, where and when of it, so she did her best to rein her sisters in and keep the whole thing as intimate and simple as possible.

Their time was frenetically filled with detail after detail of the various projects they were working on, but they made sure to make time for the things that were most important to them. And that was spending time alone at their home learning as much as they could about each other.

Running remained one of Edward's truest passions and he loved running through the forest with whoever wanted to accompany him.

The happy couple hunted before she left for the store and again in the evenings if he needed to, but more often than not it was the anticipation of the run itself that drew Edward to the forest.

Every third or fourth day Edward would wake on the forest floor after having fainted but he always woke with his head in Bella's lap and her smiling face hovering over him, ready to assure him that he was safe.

He still hated it and still saw it as a weakness, but when Bella kept her promise not to tell the others he slowly began to let his feelings of frustration go. Very slowly. He wasn't done with them, and the feelings weren't done with him either, but he stopped 'raging against the machine' and tried to get with the program Fate had planned for him.

After a week or two of this routine he dropped the second hunt altogether and he and Bella ran simply for the pleasure of it. The dark night afforded them even more privacy than normal and they began to relish the thought of the run, and the frenzied coupling, they could achieve in the depths of the forest.

Eager to see for himself what his store looked like he and Bella began to alter their nightly runs. Exposure to humans, in measured doses, and always right after he'd fed, was the key to Edward conquering his thirst. His determination to do it was what drove him to try and after a few false starts they worked out the best and safest way to gain that exposure without too much risk.

Bella always went ahead as a scout and if she felt that there were too many humans in too close a proximity to the store they always called the expedition off. But quite a few times they were able to make their way to the shop without incident in the dead of night.

The hint of lingering human scent still bothered Bella though it didn't ignite her thirst. Well fed and content it hardly bothered Edward either, but he knew how easily he could slip so he was extremely diligent.

Three days before their wedding they made another midnight trip to the store. It would be their last before it reopened and both were eager to see the finished results of all their work.

As had been usual Bella went ahead and when she'd reasoned that the two humans in the parked car four stops down from the store would pose little problem if they remained in the car she whistled for Edward to approach.

They slipped into the store without too much fuss. They didn't bother with the lights, they could see perfectly, so they simply moved around it and took in all the tiny finishing touches they'd made.

"It's brilliant," Edward exclaimed as he took in the entirety of what they'd achieved.

"It is," Bella agreed as she straightened a cushion in one of the armchairs in the reading area. "It's going to be strange not having a thousand boxes to unpack every day," she chuckled as she ran a hand over the countertop by the register.

"There'll be deliveries every other day if it really takes off," Edward said hopefully. He moved to the music end of the store and ran an idle hand over the stacks of sheet music all lined up by genre. "I've been thinking we should invite local musicians in," he told Bella as he trailed his fingers over the keys of the piano.

"To showcase their stuff, good idea," Bella told him as she watched him sink onto the piano bench. She'd wanted to hear him play what he considered a 'decent' piano for such a long time so she stayed quiet as he craned his neck and flexed his fingers.

Edward didn't hear the comment because he'd gone into a kind of trance as he sat down at the keys. He could already hear the music he was about to make. The notes were already lining themselves up in his head as he placed his fingers on the correct keys to begin. He was already swaying as the first notes filled the air in the store. His brain raced three bars ahead as he played and that leant a flourish to his playing that had been unachievable as a human.

Bella stood mesmerised as he played. Not knowing the difference between an upright and a proper piano she'd assumed he was being snobbish when he'd told her he much preferred the quality of the sound a grand could produce, but now she understood completely.

It was all about depth. The sound was louder, because the belly of the piano resonated so much more strongly because of its construction, but it was the depth of his commitment to the piece he was playing that made it sound so different in the store. She had no idea what it was, who'd composed it or what it meant, but that didn't matter in the least as she watched and listened.

He purred deep in his throat along with the music he made but he wasn't aware of it. His body moved forward and back, left and right as the music changed tempo and its cadence went from a light sprinkling of sound to a crashing crescendo towards its end, but he didn't notice that either. He was lost to it. With his eyes closed he was living the sounds. With his tongue pressed firmly to the roof of his mouth he concentrated so hard to achieve the proper character of the piece he had no idea that if he'd been human he'd have pierced his palate. His fingers flew across the keys with inhuman accuracy that no concert pianist could ever have hoped to achieve without the use of performance enhancing drugs of some kind yet to be invented. And when the piece was done he slumped forward, already mourning the loss of the adrenalin that his achievement had given him.

"Thank you," he whispered to the piano so lowly only Bella's supernatural hearing could've picked it up, which it did.

She smiled to herself at the sentiment but said nothing. It was so like her Edward to be thankful to an inanimate object that had given him pleasure. It was so like the quiet, respectful man she was about to marry and it was definitely a quality that her wonderful mate should possess.

Satisfied with the fixtures and fittings, his choices in decor and the books he'd chosen to stock Edward nodded to himself just the once as he moved towards her at the counter. "There's nothing more we can do now before we open," he grinned as she slipped her arm through his.

"I agree," she told him once they'd relocked the front doors and had reset the alarm. "But we can go and check out the competition," she giggled.

This too was a favourite pastime. They'd often waited until the middle of the night to prowl the main street and check out what the one other bookstore was stocking.

Standing stock still until they'd surveyed the area to see how many humans were about Edward waited for Bella to announce the all clear before she skipped back to his side and slipped her arm through his once again.

The bookstore three blocks down held no interest for Edward that particular visit because at the same time that he and his mate were strolling down what would normally be a very busy shopping street Fate and Destiny had spied the happy and contented couple and had decided to throw them a curve ball to test their resilience.

Directly beside the competing bookstore was a pawn shop. Edward quite often liked to browse in its window because they always had a good selection of vinyl records on display.

It wasn't the records that held his gaze on this visit, however. The growl that broke free of his throat startled Bella who had still been squinting through the bookshop window to get a look at the specials table.

Scanning the street quickly for signs of danger she moved toward her mate hesitantly until she'd made sure that there was nothing and nobody near them that could possibly hurt them. "What is it?" she hissed, her back to his as she continued to scan the street.

"Watch," Edward croaked as his anger overwhelmed his entire body.

"I am watching," Bella hissed in return at his back. "I don't see anyone," she told him, frustrated.

"No," Edward growled, enraged. "Here, in the window. It's my father's watch."

Bella shivered at the aggression in his voice and took only seconds to think what to do. "I'll come right back tomorrow morning and buy it, I promise," she told him sincerely.

But Edward was shaking his head despite the fact that Bella couldn't see him do it. "No," he growled deeply. "I want to know who hocked it."

Hoping that he could be talked out of that Bella turned and placed one hand into his and the other to the small of his back. His whole body shook with rage as she used her fingertips to soothe him as best she could. "Think about this very carefully, Edward," she whispered into his ear. "Be sure. If you want to do this you have to know that it won't be considered a slip, this won't be considered an accident."

"I'll live with it," he snarled as he licked the venom from his lips.

She had her cell phone in her hand and was dialling before he finished the statement. She'd have wanted the same information and for the same reasons she admitted as she waited for the call to connect. There would be time enough, after he had the information, to talk him out of doing anything with it. For now he wanted the watch and some simple details, later she'd do her best to convince him to do nothing with them. The watch would be its own reward. "I'm here," she told a trembling Edward. When the call was answered she spoke quickly and clearly to her brother. "Port Angeles, the pawn shop by Odyssey Bookstore. Bring your tools," she told him, "Whoever stole Edward's fathers watch pawned it, he wants it and wants to know who," she said before ending the call. "We'll get it, I promise," she told a shaking Edward. "Come on, we'll wait in the forest for them," she said as she tugged on his sleeve.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading.**

**Please review. **


	25. Chapter 25

Twenty minutes was all it took for the Cullen siblings to find them in the trees. Twenty minutes was all it took to gather the troops, reconcile what they'd be perpetrating if they did this for him and twenty minutes to decide that if it were them they'd do the same.

But not Carlisle. And not Esme.

They'd stayed behind, at the house. Neither could be privy to what the likely outcome of the night was to be, but neither could bring themselves to insist it not be done.

They'd taken just a moment to think on what they'd do in Edward's position and both came to the same conclusion as Bella. They too believed that it would be simpler to just have someone go and buy the watch the next morning but they also understood that he deserved the right to have his fathers watch and to also to know who it was that had taken it and had caused the death of his mother. And like Bella they hoped that he'd be able to be dissuaded from doing anything further with the information once he had it.

But the four Cullen's who did rush to his aid were sure of their positions and all seven of the Cullen's – Bella included – knew that the murder of Agnes Masen had led directly to the murder and subsequent change of Eddie. If he could live with what he was about to do then they had to respect that, but if he could be talked down from this particular ledge it should be attempted.

But first thing was first. Getting the watch and the information had to come first and so they collected what they needed and ran to Port Angeles as fast as was possible.

Life wasn't always fair and neither was it just. Fate, Destiny and Karma had shown the old Eddie Masen Junior that time and time again as he'd struggled with the course of events that had changed his life.

As he watched in grateful silence to see which of his new family were going to arrive to offer him assistance he began to think about how life was about to get very unfair indeed for whoever it was that had pawned that watch.

As his two brothers and two sisters appeared he left the embrace Bella had kept him in since making the call and stepped to offer his hand and his thanks to each of his siblings in turn as they approached.

"You're sure about this?" Jasper asked during their handshake. The grim set to Edward's features gave him the answer before the nod did and Jasper bowed his head in acceptance. Jangling his 'tools' he turned to his other brother and nodded.

Emmett took off like a bolt of lightning, running parallel to the backs of the stores that lined the main street. There was just the faintest of whistles and then Jasper too tore off in the same direction Emmett had gone.

Staring after them Edward wondered what the hell their plan was and why he hadn't been made aware of it. He needn't have worried because within seconds of another soft whistle reaching his ears Bella tugged on his sleeve and he too was running along the backs of the stores.

Jasper was already removing tools from the soft pack he'd brought along but Emmett was nowhere to be found. "Where's Em?" Edward asked quietly.

"Gone round the front to scout for cameras," Alice whispered in reply.

"Jaz will pick the lock, Em will disable the alarm if there is one," Bella whispered as they ran.

"There's always an alarm," Rose sniggered as she slid on a pair of latex gloves whilst running. "Humans are notoriously mistrusting," she scoffed.

"Rosie will sort out the security cameras and you retrieve the watch once you've identified it. Alice and I will stand guard," Bella told him as they reached the back of the pawn shop and came to a halt beside the two boys. Alice peeled off after wishing them all luck and went to the front of the store. Bella stayed at Edward's side, eyes shifting up and down the alleyway.

"You've done this before?" Edward asked, not wholly shocked.

"Old hands," Emmett chuckled as he reefed open the electrical panel beside the door, busting its lock with little more than a dull chinking sound. Jasper was hovering over the lock on the main door, lock pick in hand. With needle nosed snips in his giant hand Emmett grinned evilly, "Do I cut the red wire, or the blue?" he sniggered as he snipped both and shut the box with a triumphant grunt. "Good to go ladies and gentleman," he told the group with a flourish of his hand, "You have fifteen minutes, tops."

"Will only need ten," Jasper replied cockily. At the sound of the lock on the door giving way he stood aside. "How many cameras?" he asked Emmett.

"Two. One facing the register the other the front door. You good to go Rosie?" he asked his wife who was nodding.

Taking an aerosol can from the pocket of her jacket Rose went in through the now open door. A soft spraying sound and a slight chemical smell wafted out the door and then Rose announced that they were all clear.

"Come on, bro," Jasper told Edward who was still stunned at their efficiency. Jasper pointed towards the front window of the store and told Edward to go collect the watch and to call out the reference numbers on its tag once he had it.

Edward took a deep breath and snatched the watch off its bed of satin and winced as he waited for the sound of an alarm. Of course it never came. "167901," he read the numbers from its tag and then made his way back to Jasper who was already thumbing through index cards to locate the right item.

"Got it," he announced seconds later as he handed over the card. "Time to go, put that in your pocket," he told Edward who was still staring down at the watch in his palm.

Sliding the card and the watch into his jeans Edward headed back out the door they way they'd come in. He watched in fascination as Rose went back inside with what looked like a glass cleaning cloth in her hand. She was gone only one minute and when she came back out she was tucking the now black stained cloth into her jacket along with her gloves.

Locking the door from the inside and pulling it shut behind him Jasper nodded to Emmett who opened the electrical panel again. Twisting the wires back together Emmett hit the reset button when he was done and waited until the red blinking light on top of the box kicked in. He nodded once he was satisfied and as soon as he did Bella whistled loudly.

Bella grabbed his hand and a stunned Edward began to run beside his mate. Alice joined them back at the starting point and without a word being said they tore off into the forest and headed towards the Cullen house.

Edward stared down at the watch and the card for an hour and twelve minutes before he spoke, and when he did Carlisle sighed. "Help me find where he lives," Edward muttered, probably to Jasper who had the best investigative skills but it could just as easily have been to any one of them.

Jasper, looking first to an anguished Bella and then to a disappointed Carlisle, said that he would help. What else could he do? He knew Edward would find the details for himself if he refused and if the guy was going to do something stupid it made sense that someone in the group should know what that was likely to be. Jasper had been on 'clean up' duty for a very, very long time. He knew the drill. "Come on," he told Edward who nodded just once then slipped the watch into his jeans pocket before rising from the stair tread he'd been sitting on.

"Edward," Bella called his name softly from the heart of the living room. When he turned so she could see his face she smiled a little and hoped that her efforts weren't going to be for nothing. "Is it not enough that you have the watch back?" she asked carefully.

Edward, fully aware that she wasn't as willing to 'live with' what he had in mind smiled ever so slightly before replying. "Probably," he told her quietly.

And with that she had to be satisfied. She was his mate and in three days she'd be his wife, but she wasn't his keeper. Thinking back on the three slips she'd made herself she knew deep within herself that if she'd known him then she wouldn't have been called off the hunt by him, just as the pleadings from her family at the time hadn't worked. Her slips hadn't been born from the pain he was feeling now, and although they couldn't be described as purely accidents she didn't plan them and she didn't seek her eventual victims out personally. If Edward did this that's what he'd be doing. He'd have to plan it. He'd kill knowing exactly what he was doing and he'd be doing it for no other reason than revenge.

And it was revenge that Edward was thinking about as he watched his brother's fingers fly over the keys on his laptop. It was a simple process finding Jacob Black. His address, phone number and occupation lit up the screen when Jasper twisted the laptop for Edward to see.

"He's not a vampire?" Edward asked as he stared at the picture on the screen. Even it being a poor quality shot from his driver's license made it evident that he was human. Whoever had changed Edward would have crimson eyes, Jacob Blacks were brown.

"Did you think he was going to be?" Jasper asked carefully.

"I did wonder," Edward added. "I wondered if he'd hung around and come back for me once he was finished with my ..." he trailed off.

"After he'd hurt your mother," Jasper finished for him sadly. "Doesn't look like he's anything other than what this says he is. But then this doesn't say he's a thieving piece of shit either, so you never know."

"Thank you," Edward whispered as he memorised the details on the screen.

Jasper nodded and closed the lid of the machine. "You come to me," he told Edward pointedly as he stared into his eyes.

Edward got the message loud and clear. If this was what he wanted to do Jasper would be there. Emmett too probably.

Standing and offering his hand Edward thanked his brother for all his help that evening and announced that he'd be going home then. He waited at the bottom of the stairs for Bella to make her way to his side and once she had he thanked the family as a group for their assistance and then took Bella's hand into his.

The run home was quiet. And it wasn't nearly a run at all, more of a stroll. Edward deep in thought and Bella worried for her mate's state of mind. She wouldn't press him but she did hope he'd open up to her about what he was feeling.

Once inside Edward put the card and the watch squarely on the kitchen table then announced he was going to shower. Bella waited until she heard the water begin to run in the bathroom and then stared down at both items. The watch was precious to Edward, she knew that, and she hoped that what she'd said at the house had resonated with him. Having it back in his possession should have been enough.

Glancing at the name on the card she hoped that it would be because if Edward ever stumbled across Jacob Black she knew exactly how the meeting would end.

Edward was virtually silent for the remainder of the evening. He met Bella in their bed after his shower and made slow love to her for hours. He lost himself in her scent and in her body. There was no aggression and he had no thoughts for marking her. He just wanted to be inside her, safe and warm and in control.

The thoughts wandering through the dark corridors of his brain weren't controlled, however. They were messy and dangerous and lurked right at the back, picking at the seams of his psyche as he stroked Bella's body with his own. They tapped him at odd intervals and drew his attention back to the information he now possessed, insisting he think about it when all he really wanted to do was concentrate on his mate.

Bella knew he was distracted and she knew why. She did her best not to take it personally, understanding the crossroads he'd come to within himself. She knew that Eddie Masen Junior could be thankful for having the watch and let the rest go. What she didn't know was whether Edward Cullen could do that.

And so Bella held him tightly to her through the night and hoped that there was enough of Eddie left inside Edward to choose the right path.

When dawn came a different Edward emerged from the bathroom. His smile was back and he looked happy and content again as Bella stared at him in the mirror as he brushed his teeth yet again.

"Big day today," he grinned at her after he'd spit out the toothpaste.

"Yeah," she replied, confused. Was he not going to say anything at all about what had happened the night before? Had he really been able to get past it, just like that? Looking at him she thought that he had. His eyes sparkled and he was steady and relaxed. He looked like Eddie and she relaxed just a little. "I've got to go and collect your ring," she grinned back at him.

"I already have yours," he chuckled after poking his tongue out at her.

Marvelling at his ability to adapt and overcome Bella returned the childish sentiment and went to dress. He was right, she had a big day. With only two days to go until the ceremony she was going to be run ragged with all the tasks Alice and Esme had listed for her to do personally. "I don't know if I'll see you much today," she pouted prettily as they stood on the front porch before getting into his car for the drive to the Cullen house.

"I'll find you," Edward laughed as he took her hand and led her to the Mercedes.

And he did. When Bella returned to the Cullen house, sisters in tow, he cornered her at the first floor landing by darting out from Carlisle's study and pressing her hard up against the wall.

"Too long," he groaned into her lips before his tongue sneaked out and tasted her. The kiss was broken only by the clearing of a throat from further along the landing, but it wasn't the first to be stolen that day. After hiding out for an hour high up in his old bedroom while the tent, chairs and tables were delivered by two humans he bolted down the stairs the instant the truck departed. He threw his mate to the ground just below the decking by the back porch and shoved his tongue deep into her mouth. After kissing her thoroughly, and throwing Jasper the bird for the teasing, he grinned down at her, "One more day," he croaked against her throat.

When the night closed in and they could at last leave all the decorating and last minute decision making to the others they skipped off to their own home to devour one another.

Knowing it would be the last time they saw one another before they met at the head of the makeshift altar they clung to one another as the two groups split down the middle the following evening. Emmett and Jasper came to the Masen house to stay until the ceremony, and Bella ran off to the Cullen house to stay for the last time as a single woman.

Bella's scent had only just dissipated from the front porch when Edward turned to his brothers and growled. "No bucks turn," he hissed. "No idiotic games, no teasing, no taunting," he warned the two grinning men who bore what they hoped were innocent expressions.

"We weren't planning anything," Emmett exclaimed in mock horror.

"Where's Carlisle?" Edward asked as he snatched his car keys from the hook by the front door.

"He's got a shift till midnight, why?" Jasper asked as he stared at the keys in Edward's hand. "We going somewhere?"

Glancing down at his father's watch on his wrist Edward calculated the hours between then and midnight. "Five hours, should be enough," he guessed before returning his gaze to his brothers. "Help or don't, I won't hold it against you either way," he said simply.

The two boys got the gist of the statement pretty quickly. Bella had told Esme that their brother had made no comment at all about the information he was in possession of and they'd thought it odd as the information had filtered down through the rest of the family. It was very odd. He was an aggressive guy and not just because he was a newborn. They both figured it was because he'd been so repressed as a human but it could just as easily be because that was the type of vampire he had always been destined to be. Didn't matter to them the reason for it, but they knew it about him all the same.

An aggressive vampire didn't just give up on the anger and pain he had inside him. He hadn't tried to expel it any other way, as far as Jasper and Emmett knew, so they knew he'd hidden it from them and from his mate.

Shrugging at Jasper to gauge what his answer was going to be, and receiving an eyebrow raise and a shrug in return, Emmett clapped his newest brother on the back. "What do you need?" he asked.

"Silence," Edward said very quietly. "If I do this I need your silence. I won't ever bring it up again, and I expect the two of you not to either if you come along for the ride."

"Done," Jasper agreed without hesitation.

"Yeah, fair enough," Emmett agreed. "You got a plan?"

"I got a name and address but no way to know if that's the guy who pawned it after stealing it, or if he just ended up with it some other way. Any suggestions on how to find that out first?" Edward asked his brothers.

Emmett grinned then, a big wide toothy grin that made Edward shudder. "Seems pretty simple to me," Emmett chuckled. "We'll just go ask."

As the two brothers argued about riding shotgun Bella and her sisters were settling in for a girl's night. Esme swore she'd finish up with the flower arrangements for the tables as quickly as she could so she could join them, but refused their help to speed the process up.

In truth Esme wanted to listen to her daughters giggling one last time. The flower arrangements were done, she'd just been fiddling with the leftovers, so as soon as the door to Alice' suite was closed she made her way up to the first floor landing and sat down outside the door to listen.

The sisters knew she was there, of course, and they knew exactly why she was there too. It was hard for their mother to accept the changes around her and within her home. Vampires were unchanging in so many ways and significant disruptions to the status quo bothered Esme more than others.

She was grateful that Bella had found her mate, and she loved Edward as one of her own, but having them live away hurt a lot. She knew they'd come back, they all did, but the time they were apart from her made her feel incomplete.

Hearing her daughters giggle their way through Bella's retelling of her first few days with the old Eddie after his change made Esme smile smugly. Carlisle had known, even back then, that his newest son was more than likely going to turn into their son in law as well. How he'd known, how he'd been certain enough to force the issue by inviting the cousins she didn't know, but he had. He always did. He'd done it with Rose and Emmett and he'd done it with her.

Sending out a mental thank you to her own mate she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes as she drank in the details of her baby girl's tale. She'd join them soon she thought when Bella got to the part about them visiting Strawberry Bay that first time. Aware that Bella would clam up the instant Esme entered the room she stifled yet another giggle and thought yes, she'd join them soon.

Staying out of the stream of light thrown by the street lamp Edward inched his way around the side of the house. Jasper did the same on the opposite side. Emmett stood, hand poised to knock, on the front porch. After nodding to each of his brothers to make sure they were ready too he knocked on the door and took a step back to wait.

"Yeah, what?" the native guy said abruptly as he opened the door.

Edward heard Jasper hiss 'charming manners' under his breath and grinned to himself. Craning his neck to get a look at who he could only call a suspect at that time Edward took in the guys appearance.

For a start he was human so his scent scorched his nose and made his venom run but quite apart from that the guy stank. Body odour, cigarettes and alcohol seeped from his pores and if the stains that creeped out from under his arms were any indication it'd been a while since he'd last showered.

There was a faint chemical smell that oozed from his pores and rushed out of the house as its door stood open. Drugs Edward guessed. So he was a thief and a drug user, or maker Edward thought blackly as he stared.

Jet black hair that hadn't been washed in an age either stuck up in unruly tufts from his scalp and disappeared into the collar of his flannel shirt. He wore plain blue jeans but the pockets sagged and the knees were threadbare. He was bare footed.

"You Jacob Black?" Emmett asked calmly.

"Yeah, who wants to know?" the suspect asked warily, looking Emmett up and down.

"Mind if I step inside? I need to ask you some questions," Emmett, still grinning, said rather sweetly.

Jacob snorted and Edward stiffened. Jasper held his hand up to hush his newest brother and to give Emmett the chance he needed to get the job done.

"You a cop?" Jacob asked.

"Nope," Emmett stated simply.

Eyeing him from head to foot Jacob could smell trouble and decided to exercise his rights. "Fuck off, bro," he sneered and tried to shut the door in Emmett's face.

Tilting his head slightly to the side and then shaking it just a little Emmett gripped the doorframe just as it made to close fully. "See, I don't think I will, _bro_," Emmett hissed and shoved the door open so violently the hinges groaned in protest.

Jacob wasn't quite as startled as the brothers thought he should be. In fact, Jacob Black wasn't startled at all. He was used to being doorstopped. He was used to unnamed heavies arriving at his door and demanding payment, repayment, replacement and sometimes even revenge. For Jacob Black was a thug. A petty thief, a drug addict and a pusher of the insidious product that poisoned the mind and soul. He was also a stubborn idiot who thought he was above the law and could fight his way out of anything.

And Jacob Black was prepared to defend his castle.

It wasn't much of a castle. It was more a rat hole, but he was still prepared to defend it. He reached for the rifle that he kept tucked behind the architrave in the hall and as Emmett entered the house and began to growl Jacob raised that rifle and pointed it right at Emmett's chest.

"You'll be stoppin' right there, motherfucker," Jacob snarled.

Emmett, still grinning, took a good whiff of the surrounds and determined that the guy was home alone. There weren't any other human scents and there hadn't been for some time. There was, however, the distinct smell of chemicals and body odour. Wrinkling his nose in disgust at what he could smell he frowned at what he couldn't. Fear. There was no smell of fear from the guy. That would change Emmett thought to himself as he took a small step closer. Ignoring the gun pointed right at him Emmett stared Jacob down. "I'm inside, that's all I wanted," he chuckled and whistled for his brothers to join the party.

The two brothers wasted no time once they heard the whistle and raced into the house, Jasper pulling what was left of the front door closed as best he could behind himself once they were both in the hall with Emmett.

Jacob's eyes widened as the tiny space filled with three pretty pissed off looking heavies. His odds had been better with just the one big guy with himself holding the gun, but now the odds of getting three shots off before scarpering out the backdoor looked pretty shitty.

"What the fuck?" he barked at the three smiling guys. "What the hell do you want?"

"We just want to ask you a couple questions," Jasper said almost innocently. "No need for the artillery," he grinned, nodding towards the rifle.

Readjusting his grip Jacob ignored the mention of the weapon and tilted his chin toward Jasper. "Ask then fuck off," he barked. Edward couldn't help the growl that came from his throat because as filthy and as unwashed as Jacob was he was still human and Edward wanted his blood. Jacob raised an eyebrow at the sound coming from Edward's mouth and shook his head as though disgusted. "What's his deal?" he said as he used the point of the rifle to denote which of the brothers he meant. "He rabid or somethin'? Been bit by a dog there, bro?" he sniggered.

"Yeah, prolly not a great idea to address him right now, _bro_," Emmett hissed knowing exactly why Ed's growling was getting louder. Without waiting for another intellectual statement from Jacob he took another step forward. "You break into a house out on Mullins Lane about five months ago?" he asked.

Jacob scoffed again and Edward let out another hoarse growl. "Dude, lay off the kibble," he spat at Edward and then looked Emmett over from head to foot. "So what if I did?" he answered Emmett. "I aint sayin' I did, but what's it to you anyway?"

Not bothering to answer Jacob's question he looked past him and addressed his brothers, "Take a look around," Emmett suggested and as the two of them shuffled past the standoff in the hall Emmett narrowed his eyes at Jacob. "You just keep your little boom stick pointed right here," he told Jacob who was trying to follow the movements of the other two and keep a steady aim at Emmett at the same time. "This'll go much easier if you just tell us yes or no," Emmett said as amiably as he could.

Knowing he was outnumbered and not understanding why these three weren't afraid of a loaded rifle Jacob took a chance that he thought might save his life. "Yeah, I done that place over," he admitted.

Emmett didn't need to call his brothers back into the hall because they'd heard the admission easily for themselves. When they'd reached the hall Emmett asked whether they'd found anything and Jacob scoffed. "You got something to add?" Emmett asked with a sneer.

"They won't find nothin' here because that place was a waste of fuckin' time," Jacob postured. "Full of shitty old furniture and books and shit."

"You took a watch," Edward growled.

Looking over his left shoulder he addressed Edward with a sneer. "Pawned it. Piece of shit. I only got fifty bucks for it. It's prolly still at the shop," he snorted.

"Why that house?" Jasper asked as he too closed the distance between himself and Jacob.

The hall felt very small all of a sudden to Jacob whose hand began to shake as he held the gun. He had already been shaking before the heavies showed up because he hadn't had a hit all day. He was broke and would need to do over another house before he could score. "Random," he told Jasper who hissed angrily.

"There was a woman," Edward hissed as he approached Jacob from behind too.

With the three of them closing in on him Jacob began to sweat and Edward began to grimace at the stench. "She woke up as I was leaving," Jacob admitted. "I didn't touch her, man. I told her to go back to sleep and I left. That's it."

The boys didn't need Edward to confirm that that was a lie. They knew who they were looking at and they knew what he'd done. All that remained to establish was what Edward wanted to do about it.

That was always going to fall to Emmett because Jasper wouldn't ever bother to ask. He wouldn't give alternatives and he wouldn't provide an 'out'. Jasper knew exactly what he was and he wasn't afraid to exercise that part of himself. He had no qualms ridding the earth of scum when circumstance warranted it. His brain could rationalise that is was just one such situation. He was a do first ask questions later kind of guy. Emmett wasn't.

"Your call," he told Edward who couldn't take his eyes off his mother's murderer. When Edward nodded minutely Emmett turned back to Jacob. "Looks like we might be going to have a little party," he sneered.

It was then that the two brothers knew the order in which things would have to be done. Leaving Jacob in the hall with Edward – and whispering a hasty 'wait till we get back' – Emmett and Jasper shot off through the house making ready.

Emmett closed any windows that were open while Jasper checked all the doors. Locating the piss weak little stereo system Emmett cranked it up as loud as it would go while Jasper flew around opening drawers and tossing their contents out onto the floor.

Edward watched them with interest while Jacob transferred the aim of the rifle to his chest and began to wince at the volume of the music. Edward had no idea what they were doing or why but it looked like something else they were well practised at. That should make him sick, but it didn't. Jacob was no longer a suspect, he was the perpetrator and justice came to criminals in one form or another. To Edward the boys looked as though they were preparing to mete out that justice.

Jacob watched the brothers with interest too. Not because they were obviously tossing the place to make whatever was about to happen to him look like a robbery, but because his eyes couldn't follow their movements they were so fast. "What the fuck are you?" he asked none of them in particular.

"Your worst fucking nightmare," Edward hissed, still watching his brothers.

When they returned to the hall all three smiled evilly at Jacob who promptly pissed his pants. "Dude, that's just nasty," Emmett groaned as the smell hit his nose.

"Who the fuck are you?" Jacob croaked as he stared from one brother to another again. They looked nothing alike but they seemed to work as a team really well. Whatever that woman had meant to these guys was big. Huge. He'd fucked up royally and he knew it. His heart was really racing then, his pupils huge and his whole frame shaking from the need for coke and from fear.

"We've been remiss, brothers," Jasper chuckled. "Whatever would mother think of our lack of manners?"

Emmett clapped Jaz on the back and whispered 'good one' but didn't take his eyes off Jacob. "Allow me to introduce your newest friends," Em chuckled. "I'm Lucky, this is Chico and the redhead here is Ralph," he said almost politely, making Jasper roll his eyes and Edward scoff.

"What do you want? I told you I pawned the watch. I aint got nothing worth nothin' here," Jacob whimpered pathetically.

Incensed that his only thoughts were for possessions Edward began to growl more steadily. It was obvious that Jacob didn't care at all about the life he'd taken. Edward considered that the instant he'd left the property he'd given no further thought to what he'd done inside it, and rightly so for Jacob Black had never once thought back on what he'd done. He knew he'd shoved the woman hard enough that she'd been hurt because he watched her fall. He'd known that if someone didn't get her some help there was a chance, at her age, that she could be in real trouble. He'd known that there was a real chance that she was in the house alone and he hadn't given a thought to that since leaving the properties perimeter.

Jasper could see the emotions warring on Edward's face. He understood the need to kill for he'd done it himself for decades before meeting Alice and ultimately the Cullen's.

Emmett enjoyed the dance for what it was. He enjoyed intimidating the scum that plagued the earth and it wasn't hard to see that Jacob Black was scum.

Foul stench or not Edward had had enough posturing. He had the answers he'd been seeking and he'd had enough playing games. Surging forward he gripped Jacob by the throat and began to squeeze. "The woman you murdered was my mother," he hissed into his face as Jacob's hands began to claw at the fingers choking the life out of him. "You defiled my home, hurt my mother and left her on the floor to die."

"I didn't know," Jacob croaked, using what he thought might be his last bit of energy to defend himself.

"I don't care," Edward spat as he lifted Jacob clean off the ground and held him aloft in his hand. Surging forward again he slammed him into the wall and licked his lips. "You broke into my home and stole from my mother. You made her afraid in a home she'd lived in peacefully for forty years. You killed her and left her there for me to find and then I was found and my life was taken too," Edward spat into the desperately gasping face of who was going to be his first ever non-slip kill.

Of course Jacob had no idea what it meant that Edward had been killed and he had no idea how, if that were true, the guy could be squeezing the life out of him right now. "Didn't know," he squeaked again as Edward licked his lips one more time. Jacob could see the silvery sheen on his lips and began to shudder at the smell of it.

Edward had heard enough. Pressing a little deeper with the pad of his thumb he waited until Jacob's eyes began to bulge at the lack of oxygen before grabbing the front of his shirt and lowering him slightly until his throat was level with Edward's now bared teeth. Staring deep into his eyes Edward told Jacob to get ready to meet his maker then lowered his mouth to his throat.

In the split second it took Edward to dip his head his two brothers shot a glance at one another and shouted his name unison. Turning to stare at them Edward snarled. He didn't care what they had to say on the morality of what he was about to do because he'd gone beyond that. Now they were coveting his kill and as a newborn he had no intention of giving up the crimson prize that hovered just under Jacob's skin. "What?" he hissed as his brothers threw their hands up.

"If you do that she'll know," Emmett nodded towards Jacob. When Edward said nothing Emmett tried again to make his brother see some sense. "Bella," he said firmly. "If you do that Bella will know you've done it."

"You promised me your silence," Edward hissed through gritted teeth.

Emmett slipped into a short crouch at that. "Don't ever question my word," he snapped at his brother.

Jasper, knowing what Emmett was trying to say but couldn't articulate stepped in. "We won't say a word, we swear," he told his now shaking brother. "Your eyes, he means your eyes. If you drink him she'll know because you're newborn and your eyes will go back to being red within hours."

"Don't care," Edward groaned, desperate for the euphoria he knew was just below his fingertips.

"Dude, you do care. I know you do. You're getting married tomorrow," Emmett reminded him. "You're going to post for a thousand photos and every one of them will prove what you've done long before you can confess it to her."

Hissing and craning his neck Edward had to agree that what they said was true. He knew without asking what Bella would think if he showed up with red eyes on their wedding day. He didn't want to start his married life that way and yet he still couldn't let go of the need to destroy the foul creature in his grip. In fact he couldn't make himself let go full stop. "Need to," he managed to rasp out between his clenched teeth.

"I know you do," Jasper said as calmly as he could. His venom was running like a river too at the thought of mopping up the spoils once Edward had had his fill. But the fine details of what was about to go down needed to be voiced, if only so Edward could make a choice with all the information in his head that he could. "You'll have to start again, you know. With your thirst. One taste and you'll have to start all over again. Another six months, maybe a year, of hunting twice a day."

"Don't care," Edward howled. He hadn't taken his eyes off Jacob so he didn't know quite how close his brothers were behind him. "He killed my mother," he all but sobbed at the now unconscious creature in his grasp. "I loved her and she loved me. She was all I had," he choked out and unnecessarily tightened his grip a little more.

"But she's not all you have now," Emmett said quite rationally for someone who would've already done the job in Edward's place. But he knew Edward well by then. This wasn't the real Edward. He wasn't thinking clearly. This was a man in pain who had finally seen a way to deal with it. But this wasn't the right way for a guy like Edward to deal at all. This was an out of control newborn vampire and all at once he knew that if he let him do this it would eat at his brother's soul for centuries. He'd seen the sorrow on the guys face after hurting that mechanic and he hadn't ended that guy, just nicked him with his teeth. If he allowed this to happen this way his brother would spend eternity in a guilt driven haze. "Jaz," he whispered to his brother, "stand down." Waiting until Jasper had dropped his hands and retreated a few paces Emmett put his hand on Edward's shoulder and squeezed gently, "You lost everything when your mother was killed Eddie," Emmett said, waiting for his brother to flinch at the use of his old name. Using the distraction that cause he went on quickly, building momentum to prove his point. "But you have so much now because of that. Whoever changed you would never have come to your house without the scent of your mother's blood in the air. He'd never have changed you. Think about that for a minute, Eddie. You wouldn't have Bella. You wouldn't be getting married tomorrow and you wouldn't have this family."

"Bella," Edward moaned as though he was in agony and Emmett could see that he was, but he also knew he had him then. He knew that he'd made the right call because the mention of Bella, and the idea that without the piece of shit dangling from his fingertips Eddie might never have met her, Edward gave up the fight.

"Yeah, Bella," Emmett whispered as he slid the hand from Edward's shoulder down to his wrist. Tugging it gently he waited until Edward released his grip and until Jacob had slid to the floor before he returned that hand to Edward's shoulder and squeezed, hard. "You run on outside now," he told his wobbly brother. "Straight outside, no further than a hundred yards, but you go at least the hundred, you hear," he said firmly to a glazed Edward. "We'll bring the car and catch you up."

"You'll bring the car," Edward mumbled as he stepped over the crumpled body and towards the front door. "Need Bella," he moaned as he raked a hand through his hair in despair.

"I'll call her, go on outside," Jasper told him.

Nodding just once Edward fled. His brothers waited until the sound of his footfalls could no longer be heard and then they both looked down at the slumped body on the floor.

"He wouldn't have been able to live with himself," Emmett muttered matter of factly.

"Yeah, would've eaten at him I reckon," Jasper confirmed. "Good call, bro," he said with a slap to the big guy's shoulder.

"Would you have done it?" Emmett asked as he bent over and hoisted Jacob up until he was in a seated position.

"Definitely," Jasper said without hesitation. "You?"

"Shit yeah," Emmett chuckled darkly. "Nothing you could've said to me would've called me off."

"Damn straight," Jasper agreed. "But that's when I knew you'd made the right call. He was easy to call off," he said as he went through Jacob's pockets. Finding only the shredded pieces of some cocaine laced silver foil he threw them on the floor and gave him a good swift kick to the ribs. "How do you want to do this?" he asked without taking his eyes off the piece of shit who was moaning lowly as he came around.

"Dunno, who chose last time?" Emmett asked as he too gave Jacob a love tap to the gut with his fist.

"I think I did," Jasper chuckled. "That guy in Matane I think was the last."

"Nah, that was way earlier," Emmett surmised. "Had to be that evil piece of shit in Bolivia, that was only like twenty years ago."

"Good call," Jasper agreed again. "He was rank tho, tasted like shit. But yeah, I called it then so it's your turn."

"Cool," Emmett chuckled. "I choose heads."

Reaching into his pocket and pulling out a coin Jasper tossed it in the air, caught it and showed Emmett the result. "Damn," he hissed in disappointment. "Heads it is you lucky fuck."

"I told him my name was Lucky," Emmett chortled. Smiling like a kid who'd just gotten a bike from Santa he began to chuckle as Jacob began to rouse. "You take the car and check on the kid, this won't take long," he told an already retreating Jasper.

Fair was fair and Emmett had won fair and square. "Clean yourself up before you follow," Jasper reminded him. "If the kid smells that stink he'll freak."

Nodding just once Emmett leaned over Jacob and hoisted him to his feet. Slipping his hand under the almost lifeless one of his new friend Emmett used Jacob's hand to wave at Jasper. "Drive careful," Emmett squeaked in an imitation of the voice Jacob had used to plead with Edward. "Don't wait up," he muttered as the door closed.

Jasper chuckled as he slid into Edward's car. "How come I always have to be Chico?" he chuckled as he turned the car out of the drive. "I don't look anything like a Chico."

* * *

**A/N: There were so many private messages after the last chapter went up!**

**It was a curious mix of comments...'Don't let him kill him'...'Rip his head off'...**

**I went with a mix of the two. And I want you all to know that I did struggle to decide which way to go. My long suffering partner in Cullen Crime will be well pleased that this chapter is now on the site and I can't mess with it any further ;) Sorry Jen :P **

**But in the end it made more sense to me that there is enough of Eddie Masen Jr in him to do the right thing even though the Edward Cullen part of him wanted to finish him. **

**Bring on either the pats on the back or the hate mail. Either way I'll be pleased to hear from you all. **

**Thank you for reading.**

**Please review. **


	26. Chapter 26

Jasper spotted Edward crouched behind a shrub beside a mailbox almost exactly a hundred feet from Jacob's house. He pulled over onto the shoulder of the road and leaned over to open the passenger door. "Come on, kid," he said to a wide eyed Edward.

Relieved to be in the presence of his brother once again Edward slid gratefully into the car and rested his forehead on the dash as Jasper drove towards home.

"Bella," Edward moaned, making Jasper sigh.

"Soon," he was told in reply.

"Bella," Edward moaned again.

Jasper let him be. Nothing he could say was going to make any difference to how the guy felt. And he must be feeling pretty shitty. But he knew that if he called Bella right then it wouldn't matter that they'd pledged their silence to the guy, she'd know something was up from taking one look at him. Much better to give it a few hours and hope that a spot of hunting would relieve at least some of his angst. Parking the car in the drive at the Masen house not ten minutes later he asked Edward to stay put while he got out and sniffed the surrounds. It was a quarter till eleven and most every human in the nearby area was tucked up in its bed, or had been dealt with. Slipping the car keys into his pocket he went back to the vehicle and opened the door. "Come on, we'll hunt and you'll feel better," he told Edward who allowed himself to be helped from the car. "You go on, you run; I'll be right behind you. I've got your back," he told a shaking Edward who was looking longingly down the street towards the forest.

The fire in his throat and the pain he felt for having given up the chance at human blood made Edward's head pound as his feet pounded the tarmac. He'd wanted it. He'd wanted it badly. It had called to him. He'd felt it coursing through the jugular just under his thumb and he had already tasted its delicacy on his palate from its scent alone.

So now that he'd forgone it he ran with urgency towards the sanctuary of the forest. The freshness of the air inside it did a little to ease his ache but he knew that he wouldn't be able to fully feel in control until after he'd fed. Not bothering to run for the pleasure of it he simply sought the first heartbeat that wasn't attached to anything with opposable thumbs and sank his teeth into it unceremoniously.

He didn't even bother worrying about fainting. He just threw the deer to the ground and slurped and sucked the blood down. There was no finesse about it this time; it was purely for need alone. He took off in the direction the herd had fled and took another beast to the ground as quickly as he could. A third gave its life before he felt even remotely sated and even then it was a physical satisfaction and not a mental one.

Jasper was upwind, probably so that he could feel sure that his back was being watched, and he'd kept watch over him through the whole feeding. Knowing he was there Edward deliberately looked down at his fingers and deliberately let the dark peace of unconsciousness take him over.

Jasper saw it for what it was. A desperate need for some mental peace. He wasn't shocked or startled to watch his brother collapse to the forest floor and he didn't hurry to be by his side. The longer Edward was out the better he thought as he jumped to the ground from his perch and strolled to his side.

"Poor fucker," he muttered as he got down onto the ground and began his wait.

He hadn't been on a hunt with Edward since the Declaration of Dependence but he knew without being told that the guy still fainted more often than not. It had never bothered Jasper; it wasn't something the guy could control after all. But he did wonder whether it still bothered Edward himself.

With him still out to it Jaz took the chance to check on Em. The call was answered on the first ring.

"Dude," Em drawled lazily into the phone.

"Where are you?" Jasper asked.

"Leaving now, I'll head back to Eddie's, where are you?" Emmett asked.

"Waiting for the poor bastard to come round," Jasper sighed. "He wants to talk to Bella. Any thoughts on that?"

Shaking his head in sympathy at the news that Edward had passed out on the hunt again Emmett gave some thought to Jaspers question. In the end he told him it probably wasn't a good idea. "Why upset her the night before her wedding? Let's wait til Carlisle arrives, if he's still in shit order then we'll regroup."

"Done," Jasper agreed. "We've got about an hour to get his head in the game; we'll meet you at his place when you're ready."

"I know you're dying to ask," Emmett chuckled.

"Yeah," Jasper admitted. "So..." he trailed off, "are we breaking into Alice' stash of coloured contact lenses for tomorrow or what?"

Emmett chuckled again, "Nah won't be needing them. When it came down to it I figured Eddie might get more pleasure out of watching the fucker suffer for a few years."

"Do I want to know?" Jasper asked with a smirk. His brother was notorious for designing suitable punishments for crimes against the family and if he'd decided not to drink from, or end the life of Jacob Black outright, then whatever he'd done would make an impressive statement.

"You get the kid back to the house in as good a shape as you can manage, I'll finish up here and I'll fill you both in when I get there. Twenty minutes, tops," Emmett told Jasper and disconnected the call.

"Ok Ed," Jasper said softly to the still oblivious vampire on the ground. "Come back to me, dude. We've got some shit to get through before tomorrow."

Ten minutes later Edward was on his feet snapping and snarling.

"Don't sweat it," Jasper consoled as Edward began to pace.

"I don't fucking care about fainting," Edward roared. "That shit doesn't bother me anymore."

"Good," Jasper agreed. Looking down at his watch he saw that they had fifty minutes at the most before Carlisle was going to arrive at the house. "We should head back, get cleaned up."

"I want to see Bella," Edward insisted.

Realising it was going to be a hard sell Jasper squared his shoulders and stared him right in the eye. "If you go anywhere near her right now she'll know where you've been," he told him, straight up. "You reek of human and she's not going to need too many clues to work out which human scent that is. Come home, clean up, we'll ditch those clothes and you can calm down. Emmett will be there in a minute and we can get our shit together before dad gets there, right?" he asked hopefully.

"Fuck," Edward hissed. "Carlisle."

"Yeah, Carlisle," Jasper agreed, knowing the hardest sell was going to be convincing Edward that the wrath of Carlisle wasn't something he should fear.

They took off back to the house and as they jogged up the drive from one direction Emmett jogged towards them from the other. Raising his fist to them both in turn to bump they walked as casually as they could around the back of the house and into the laundry room. All three shucked their clothes and when they were down to their underwear Edward started the washing machine.

Once inside they took turns showering and when all three were dressed in Edward's clothing they opened every window and every door and hoped that any lingering scent would disappear before Bella returned the day after the wedding.

They were three guys sitting at the kitchen table staring down at their hands before Edward spoke. "Is he dead?" he asked quietly.

"No," Emmett told him straight up. "But he wishes he was."

Not looking up from where he was staring at his hands Edward decided he needed to hear the rest. It was true that he'd wanted Jacob Black dead, preferably at his own hand, but he'd not considered that Emmett would allow him to live. "Did you drink from him?" he asked Emmett.

"Look at my eyes," Emmett suggested and when Edward took a brief look Emmett grinned. "They'd be red, dude. Plus if I was to drink from him I wouldn't have been able to stop. He's alive right now so no, I didn't drink from him."

"I thought I'd killed him before I let him go," Edward sighed, relieved to learn that he hadn't, but at the same time sorry he hadn't as well.

"It would've been your right to do it," Jasper stated simply, calling it as he saw it. When Edward looked up, eyes wide, Jasper nodded calmly. "He killed your mother and you're a vampire because of it. It might not be justice in its finest form, but it works for me. Whether you could've lived with it is up to you to decide."

Edward turned his gaze to Emmett who was nodding in agreement with Jasper. "Why did you stop me?" he asked.

"I didn't," he told a confused Edward. With a quirk of his lip Emmett smiled, "If you'd really wanted to kill him nothing I could've said, or Jaz either, would've stopped you. You stopped yourself. I just gave you a second to decide, that's all."

"It's not because you didn't think I'd have the balls to actually do it?" Edward asked, surprised.

"Nah, dude," Emmett lied smoothly. "We both knew you had the balls to do it. And we know you well enough to know that you'd do it and live with it just fine."

Edward personally didn't think that he did, but wasn't going to correct Emmett on his assumption. He was grateful that his brothers thought he could've done it but really, when faced with it, Emmett was right. Emmett hadn't stopped him from killing Jacob he'd just given him a second to make the choice. "Will you tell me what you did?" he asked cautiously.

"If I do and someone asks what will you say?" Emmett asked first.

"Will it be better if I don't know then?" Edward asked, weighing up the pros and cons of knowing the finer details.

"Your call," Emmett shrugged.

Thinking on it for just a minute more Edward decided he needed to know. "Tell me," he said eventually.

A brief look passed between Emmett and Jasper and then the story was retold. There was no longer a reason to withhold anything so Emmett told it all. "He was unconscious when you left so I waited until he'd come round. You'd crushed his voice box already so we'll have to wait and see whether he ever talks again, but that'll come later," Emmett said matter of factly. "I snapped his neck, Ed. He's got nothing from the neck down and he won't ever get it back."

"But the authorities will know someone's done that. It won't look like an accident," Edward croaked.

"Prolly," Emmett said nonchalantly.

"Someone will say they saw us there. Someone might have seen me running away, or you two leaving," Edward said, panicked. "My car was in the driveway."

"We took the plates off yesterday," Jasper said softly to a shocked Edward. "We figured you'd either go there yourself or you'd ask us to come along after the wedding at some point."

"I didn't notice," Edward sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You took the plates off my car?" he asked as the two boys nodded. "You knew I'd want to go there?" They nodded again. "But I didn't say anything, to anyone. I was sure you all thought I'd let it go."

"We hoped you might, but we took out a little insurance just in case you didn't," Emmett shrugged.

"And if he can talk, later on, what then?" Edward asked even though he could think what the answer was going to be for himself.

"We'll kill him outright," Jasper announced dispassionately.

"Who's going to believe him even if he does talk?" Emmett suggested to a dazed Edward. "Who's going to believe a strung out crack head? If he ever gets the ability back all he's going to say is some bullshit about being attacked by three supernaturally strong guys, in his own home, while he had a loaded gun in his possession. Even if he tells it just like it was nobody's going to believe him anyway. And like I said, the first sign of any trouble from what he's got to say, and that's assuming he'll ever be able to speak again, we'll go back and finish the job."

"Paralysed," Edward sighed. "Will he be found?" he asked as an afterthought.

"I've already made an anonymous call from a prepaid cell," Emmett said with a grin. "There's probably twenty people over there already."

"They'll take him to the hospital," Edward muttered before the penny truly dropped. "Oh shit. They'll take him to Forks Hospital! Carlisle's on duty right now!"

"We know," Jasper agreed. "Calm down," he said more softly. "He'll find out, he always does, so there's no point trying to hide what we've done from him."

"But he'll..." Edward trailed off as he came to his feet. "But he'll be so angry with..."

"Yeah, more than likely," Emmett said even though Edward hadn't finished the thought. "And I have to warn you not to bother lying about it to him when he does figure it out. There'll be more fallout if you lie than if you just admit what part you played. Which isn't much."

"Isn't much," Edward barked. "I crushed his windpipe!" he hissed. "I went there to kill him. I wanted to do it. I hurt him and I was there and I'm just as guilty."

"Yeah," Jasper stated coldly. "You are."

"And Carlisle will know that too," Emmett agreed.

"What do I do?" Edward asked, hoping one or both of them had a plan.

"Nothing," Emmett said simply. "You do nothing. We do nothing."

"Nothing?" Edward growled. "I'm getting married in the morning. They guy who's going to bless the union is probably working over the guy I tried to kill tonight and he's going to know it was us that hurt him and you're telling me to do nothing?"

"That's exactly what we're telling you to do," Jasper said carefully. "Look, this isn't a new thing for us. I know it is for you and I know it's frightening and confusing, but you gotta trust us. We knew when you asked for our silence what it was you wanted to do. We could've put a stop to it then and there but you have to admit to yourself that you'd never have let it go at that. Just knowing who the guy was was never going to be the kind of closure you needed. Right?" he asked.

"Right," Edward admitted easily.

"We took as many precautions as we could tonight. The plates on your car for one. We may have caused a little diversion for the neighbours on one side," he smirked, "and we might have made a couple calls to the ones on the other hinting at a family emergency so they'd leave the area. We were serious when we said we had your back."

Emmett took over then, "There is no hiding this from Carlisle," he told a worried Edward. "And not because he works at the hospital and he's likely to have heard the guys name mentioned, but because he knows us, dude. He's known me my whole vampire life and Jaz' been with him for the better part a century now. He knows us. He'd never tell us not to seek retribution, but he won't be party to it or condone it. It's not something he'd ever do himself but he understands when we do. He's going to be plenty pissed, you can take that to the bank, but that's all it'll be. And don't discount the girls either. They might work it out, they might not. But nothing is foolproof and they've all done things like this themselves. They'll either recognise the signs or they won't. If they do they might choose not to say anything, they might tear us new ones. Either way we knew what the outcomes were likely to be and we helped you anyway."

"God," Edward all but howled. "I didn't think this through. I was just so angry."

"And that's why we did all we could beforehand," Jasper told him. "We've all done it. But we're a family and we look after our own. We all understand how you felt, how you feel. We get it."

"What did you do?" Edward asked Jasper pointedly. "Personally, have you done this yourself?"

"Too many times," Jasper admitted.

"And you?" Edward asked Emmett.

"Not as many as him but then he's fucking ancient," Emmett laughed. "But yeah, I've done this before."

"The girls?" Edward asked.

The two boys looked at one another, trying to decide how much to divulge, and decided to be vague. "Yes," was the simple answer.

"And you manage to live with it," Edward said more as a statement than a question.

"We do," Emmett agreed. "But I don't want you to think it doesn't have an effect on us because it does. We're not crazy and we don't kill for the fun of it. But there have been times when we've ended the life of a human when it was justified. To us it was justified anyway. Carlisle doesn't see it that way, and he'll tell you all about that when he gets here I reckon, but there have been times when one of us just couldn't get past the anger or the pain a human's caused us and we snap."

"So I wait for Carlisle to bring it up and when he does, which he will, I just don't lie," Edward mused. "And if Bella catches on, what do I tell her?"

"The truth," Jasper said firmly. "Lies do nothing but create bigger problems. Especially between mates. Carlisle's going to be here any minute," he announced after flicking his eyes to the clock on the kitchen wall. "Now's the time to decide who you want to talk to first. Carlisle or Bella."

"Carlisle," Edward replied without needing to think on it. "If I can manage it I want to get married tomorrow without this creating a problem for Bella."

"We'll do whatever you need," the two brothers chimed in almost in unison.

Bella checked her cell phone for messages every twenty minutes and it was driving the girls insane.

"Give it up!" Alice begged for the fifth time. "They're out having fun," she insisted. "He can't get into any trouble with the guys with him. Relax, let them be."

Bella knew she was right but she still worried. It was two in the morning and she'd not heard from Edward since leaving their home at sundown. Carlisle should be there now, barring an emergency at the hospital. She didn't know why she was worried, but she was. Seeing the disappointment on her sisters faces, and knowing she was probably ruining Esme's evening too, she smiled as widely as she could and turned her cell off. "You're right. They're big boys," she told the three women and settled back down on the end of Alice' bed to continue with the gossip session.

The big boys in question weren't having quite as much fun as the girls assumed. By two in the morning – the time Bella finally gave up on getting a message from her fiancé – the anger and aggression had finally settled down in the Masen house.

Carlisle, as the two brothers had predicted, had come to the house a seething, angry mess. For two hours the four of them sat across the kitchen table and argued the rights and wrongs of what had occurred that night.

Carlisle reminded all three boys that they had a sense of duty to the humans they lived amongst. The three boys agreed but argued that they hadn't hurt anyone who truly hadn't deserved it. Carlisle countered that it wasn't their job to mete out justice. Jasper reminded Carlisle that justice wasn't always served in the human world.

Carlisle tried to make them see that Jacob's conscience may have led him on a different path, but that the interference with the natural order of things that the three boys had instigated may very well have prevented Jacob being held accountable for his crimes.

Emmett argued that it had been six months since Agnes' murder and there was no natural justice coming Jacob's way. Carlisle argued that Emmett couldn't know what timetable justice was working to. Jasper countered that if it was using nuclear time Jacob would've already been hit by a bus or something.

Carlisle, like Bella had, reminded all three boys that lives taken – or interrupted – in these ways weren't considered accidents. The boys said they were quite prepared to accept any judgements made about that when it came time for them to meet their maker.

Knowing when he was beaten Carlisle told each of the boys how disappointed he was with them and left it at that. He knew they loved and respected him, and understood his views on what they'd done, but ultimately he wasn't able to change their minds.

As they'd predicted Carlisle had to accept at face value what had gone on and appreciated Edward not bothering to try and lie about it. In fact he appreciated none of the boys attempting to cover up what they'd done.

He'd expected something to be done to Jacob. Maybe not on the eve of a wedding, but he'd expected some form of revenge to be sought. He would never be happy with their choices but understood why they'd made them. He would never do the things his sons had done, but he understood why they had.

So instead of the male bonding session Carlisle had envisioned he spent a good portion of the evening prior to his daughter's wedding arguing back and forth with his sons. He knew it was futile before he began. He knew he'd be here having a similar argument, with one or two or more likely all three of them now that they'd formed a strong bond with one another.

He saw the unity between them. He knew without needing to be told that his newest son had gone into the whole sorry debacle unprepared and uninformed. He also knew that his two older sons had done the prep work. Their trade marks were all over it.

What he found most interesting was the lack of remorse from Edward. He'd brokered no apology and asked for no forgiveness. He'd been honest and forthcoming with information but hadn't sought absolution. He'd owned up to his part in it but wasn't looking for a pardon for his actions.

Of course it wasn't within Carlisle's grasp to offer that pardon even if he'd been asked to give one, but it was interesting that Edward wasn't looking for it.

It was this that Carlisle took with him in his head as the sun rose and he made the run towards his own home to begin preparations for the wedding. If Edward lived under his roof he'd demand an apology from him. He'd demand a sincere effort from him that he do his best to never enter into such a situation again.

But Edward didn't live under his roof. He was his own man. He and Bella had a life of their own and were making a family of their own together. Edward didn't need absolution from him because he'd made his own choice and was standing by it.

That in itself commended Carlisle's respect even if he couldn't expunge the need for it.

His sons had done something horrific and they'd done it together. He was pleased with the bond, how it had been forged not so much.

He'd made himself clear on where he stood and with that he had to be satisfied. He'd made sure they understood that if asked he'd be honest with the women. But as had happened in the past the boys accepted that easily too.

Edward may not have thought through fully what the consequences of his actions might be with his mate, but the other two had. And if Carlisle knew his family as well as he thought he did he could guess what Bella's reaction was going to be.

She'd accept it because she accepted the parts of herself that would've done exactly as Edward had.

She wouldn't be happy about it but she'd accept it for what it was.

As he approached his home he prepared himself to meet and great their guests and hoped to his all merciful god that they got through the day without the need to explain the details of Edward's bucks turn.

Twelve hours without her mate did not a happy bride make Carlisle chuckled to himself as he entered his home to the soulful strains of his youngest daughter tearing strips off his oldest two.

'_I look like a fucking sex doll!'_ Bella was shouting up on the third floor. _'The makeup's heavy so you'll look perfect in the photos!'_ Rosalie countered from her suite on the second. _'Explain my hair then!'_ Bella snarked, to whom Carlisle wasn't sure. '_I had to put that much spray in it in case it gets windy!'_ Alice defended.

"Ah, domestic bliss," Carlisle mumbled to himself as he went in search of his own bride. Finding her in the kitchen surrounded by guests he slid in beside her and kissed the back of her neck. "That been going on for long?" he chuckled.

Rolling her eyes Esme confirmed that it had. "Everything alright with the groom?" she asked after kissing him on his cheek.

"All on track," he told her as confidently as he could. Leaving her side he moved beyond the counter and began greeting those that had already arrived.

Twelve hours without his mate, and with a guilty heart and mind, made Edward a nervous wreck. His suit felt restrictive even though it had felt perfectly fine just four days ago when he'd had his last fitting. His tie wouldn't behave, his hair was a bird's nest and his eyes seemed redder than normal, at least to him.

His brothers assured him he was perfectly turned out. His suit was form fitting and his tie held its Windsor knot flawlessly. His hair was a bit of a mess but his brothers told him Alice would sort that out once they appeared at the Cullen house. His eyes weren't redder than normal they told him, it was his mind playing tricks on him. They were a dark brown now with a hint of red wine staining as Jasper so eloquently put it.

What they could all agree on, however, was the worried guilt that oozed from him. It marred his usually serene face and it gave his shoulders a slump that made him look almost human.

"Dude, you gotta calm down," Emmett told him for the hundredth time as he tugged at his tie. "Let's just get out of here. We'll run home the long way, run off some of your nerves."

Jasper agreed, Edward balked, he was out numbered and so they ran. The long way. Admitting he felt better for it as the three boys approached the Cullen property his brothers took a minute to wish him luck and then they strode out of the trees as a united group.

Edward was aware that there were going to be dozens of vampires in attendance that he didn't know, but he wasn't prepared for the influx of scents as they made their way towards the gigantic white tent that stood proudly on the flat of the back lawn.

"Jesus Christ," he muttered at the sight and smell.

"Come on, we'll introduce you around," Emmett said as he clapped him on the back. "It'll take your mind off the wait."

Striding into the tent he was accosted by them in small groups. The names became a blur as his hand was shaken and his cheek kissed by dozens of well wishers. Peter, Charlotte, Alistair, Eleazar, Liam, Mary, Maggie the names just kept coming. Marcus, Carmen, Garrett and Caius. Endless names and endless faces all attempting to inform him where they fit, who they knew and how they were attached to the Cullen family. He was tugged and prodded, pulled into and pushed out of groups as everyone clamoured to make his acquaintance. Even the Denali sisters, who kept a discreet distance until they were asked to come forward by Carlisle, congratulated him as his head swam with all the new scents.

The one scent he was desperate to have on his tongue was absent. Bella. Unable to bring himself to seek her out and knowing he'd be banished from inside the house if he tried, the groom stood on shaky legs and waited with his brothers, all the time doing his best to hide his nerves and his impatience.

Finally, after what seemed hours, the soft strains of a recorded piano broke through the din of rapid speech inside each smaller group and he was ushered, by his manhandling brothers, to the head of the tent while the guests took their seats. He shook Carlisle's hand one last time, ran a nervous hand through his copper mop one last time, accepted his brother's good wishes one last time and then turned to face the opening in the tent to await his bride.

Bella stood shaking like a leaf at the foot of the stairs in the living room flanked by her two sisters. All thoughts for what she looked like – though of course she was a vision in a sleek, stark white satin gown – forgotten as she too listened to the piano's melody. It was a cue she'd chosen herself.

"Bella?" Alice asked softly as she turned from her position in front of the bride. "Are you ready darling?"

"I am," Bella announced as strongly as she could. She'd never been more ready. She'd never been more confident that she was making the right choice and she was eager to be married.

Alice nodded her head firmly just once, turned back around, tapped Rose on her shoulder to let her know they were going to begin and then the three girls were off.

Nobody gave Bella away because she didn't need anyone to. Her whole family was present and that was enough for her. Her sisters were walking down the aisle in front of her, her brothers were standing at Edward's side, her mother was dabbing at her forever dry eyes in the front row and her father was officiating. It's all she needed.

When she placed her hand in Edward's her nerves evaporated and so did his. For the first time in twelve hours his smile was genuine. For the first time in twelve hours she felt whole.

The ceremony was simple and to the point. Their vows were traditional and said with strong, clear voices. The blessing of the marriage was poignant and heartfelt and their kiss when the deal was done was far from pg.

The crowd erupted when they were presented as husband and wife and a great deal of rice was thrown over the happy couple as they made their way back up the aisle and out into the yard.

There was no meal to be served, no alcohol to be consumed and no cake to cut. There was, however, a thousand photographs to be taken as the boys had predicted. Combinations of family and friends came and went through the small seating area that had been set up for the photographer – a vampire and cousin or brother of someone in attendance Edward thought - and once he was satisfied he'd gotten what he needed he abandoned his equipment and went back to being a guest.

Well wishers surged forward as the new mister and missus Masen Cullen entered the tent and another hearty round of hand shaking and cheek kissing was had by all. The speeches were short and to the point. The family that did speak were so happy to see Bella settled and to be able to call Edward family. There were no toasts and no gifts. No garter would be thrown – it wasn't the done thing with so many competitive highly sexed vampires in a tight group – and there was no drunken uncle to make a fool of himself or an aunt to insult the mother of the bride.

When it came time for the newlyweds to take to the floor for their first dance as husband and wife Edward stepped forward and approached the master of ceremonies before the announcement could be made.

"I know I didn't fill you in on my plans," he told a smirking Jasper, "but we aren't going to be doing a first dance."

"You aren't?" Jasper asked with raised eyebrows.

"We aren't," Edward confirmed. "Invite everyone else up to dance, by all means. And I'm not saying we won't join in at some point," he chuckled at the shock on his brothers face, "but it won't be right now."

"You're leaving?" his brother guessed.

"Half an hour, an hour, tops," Edward admitted. "Tell the group we had something very important to attend to and that we'll be back as soon as we can."

"Are you going to tell her?" Jasper asked and when Edward nodded he clapped him on the back. "Good call," he told his brother. "Just be honest and it'll go just fine."

Sliding himself back into the small group Bella was speaking with Edward took her hand into his at her side and gave it a little squeeze. "He'll call for the first dance in a moment," Bella nodded towards Jasper as she whispered this into her new husbands ear.

"He won't," Edward grinned before kissing her softly on the point of her exposed shoulder. "Run with me," he breathed into her ear as he drew her closer.

"Now?" she squeaked in surprise. He didn't answer because he didn't need to. She was already excited about the proposition despite how it would look to those gathered to see the bride and groom run off from their own wedding reception. Shifting slightly Bella stepped a little to her left so that her body half covered his, her back to his chest, and pushed her hips slightly further back. When her ass felt the distinct outline of his erection she smiled and sighed happily. "Lead the way," she purred as she squeezed his hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Edward announced to the vampires standing within the small circle. "Please excuse us a moment."

He led her out of the tent and down the flat expanse of the lawn. When they made it to the tree cover they began a slow jog. Bella's dress – hitched to her hips and needing both hands to hold it off the ground – wasn't conducive to running, hindering any real progress. Once inside the forest proper she slowed and asked Edward to wait while she slipped it down her shoulders, over her hips and off her feet. Hanging it carefully over the smoothest branch she could find she stood in the pale moonlight in nothing but a pair of sheer stockings a lacy white demi-cup bra and the tiniest white thong Edward had ever had the presence of mind to imagine. She abandoned her heels at the foot of the tree and then ran back to him.

"Good Christ," he swore as she returned to him and placed her hand in his.

"I didn't know we'd be running," she grinned. "Didn't want to ruin that dress."

"Indeed," he groaned, pressing his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose below his glasses.

They didn't go far because they didn't intend to be gone long. In fact, Bella had no clue why they'd gone into the forest in the middle of their reception anyway. She hoped that the presence of an erection was a good indication though. When Edward slowed he shucked his suit jacket and handed it to her. She wrapped it around her shoulders and felt a tiny pang of disappointment that he wanted her covered up.

"Is everything alright?" she asked as she pulled the lapels across one another across her chest. "I thought we were running out here to um, be alone?" she asked nervously.

Edward was nervous too. He hadn't thought very far along in his plan and so he'd completely missed the signals she'd been throwing him. She was practically naked, they hadn't seen each other for a whole night, it was their wedding day and he'd dragged her out of the tent without explanation. Of course she'd assumed it was to consummate their marriage. "I'm sorry," he told her very quietly as he motioned with his hand for her to take a seat on the rock behind her. "I need to tell you something and I needed to do it now. It couldn't wait," he said solemnly.

Bella planted her butt on the rock as carefully as she could. Her stockings would ladder at the slightest touch and she didn't want to ruin them. "Alright," she said once she was sitting. "You aren't going to tell me we aren't really married because you've had a wife and nine kids hidden in some backwater town this whole time are you?" she giggled.

For a split second Edward wished that really was what he had to tell her. Running his fingers through his hair he sighed heavily. "I should've come here last night and told you this," he began carefully. "I shouldn't have let you marry me without telling you. I went to Jacob Black's house last night with our brothers," he blurted out without warning. "I kept my pain from you and I hid how angry I was and I've started our marriage with a lie," he moaned, turning his back to her and preparing himself to hear her say she hated him.

From her perch on her rock Bella began to grin. She'd never expected him to come clean so quickly. She'd never expected him to admit what he'd done at all if she was honest with herself. He was strong enough to keep it to himself and he was capable of having done far more than he had, and she knew it. "Don't turn around," she told him firmly. "Tell me exactly what you did," she demanded in a tone that was neither accusing nor accepting. She wanted him to tell her everything and she wanted to hear for herself how he was feeling with the consequences of his actions.

Grateful for at least the chance to explain Edward steeled himself. "I wanted to kill him for what he did to my mother," he said firmly because it was the truth. "I wanted him to pay for what he'd done to me. I wanted him to feel pain like the pain I felt because he'd taken my mother. I wanted him to know that the pittance he'd gotten for pawning something precious to me had cost him his life."

"Alright," Bella said matter of factly. "But what did you actually do to him Edward?"

"We scared the shit out of him," he said quietly, "and when he denied hurting my mother I choked him."

"And then?" she asked, already knowing the outcome but not knowing the who or how of it.

"And then Emmett reminded me that if he hadn't hurt my mother I'd never have been changed and I'd never have met you."

"I see," she said as she blew her held breath out over her lips. "Did you let him go then?"

"I did," Edward admitted. "Emmett reminded me that if I drank from him I'd be marrying you with red eyes today and Jasper told me I'd have to start all over again with my battle against my thirst."

"Is that why you let him go, truly?"

Shaking his head Edward told her no. "I let him go because I didn't have the balls to do it," he whispered.

"I don't believe that," Bella told him straight up. "I don't think you do either."

"What other reason could there be?" he barked. "I'm a fucking defective vampire, Bella," he raged. "You've just married the only fucking vampire in existence who faints at the sight of blood and who can't kill a murdering, thieving, drug addicted piece of human scum because he doesn't have the stomach for it!"

Within a heartbeat Bella was behind her mate then, her hand pressed firmly to the small of his back. "You didn't kill him because you don't want to take a human life," she told him. "You aren't defective and if I ever hear shit like that come out of your mouth again you'll be sitting in stasis for a month while your limbs reattach!" she seethed. "And you know I don't give a fuck about you fainting. It's not a weakness. For god's sake Edward, you've got to stop seeing it that way because it just isn't. I've told you before but I'll tell you again if you need to hear it, as long as you don't hunt alone it doesn't fucking matter. We're married now; I'm your mate, so you wouldn't ever have hunted alone from now on anyway, even if you didn't faint sometimes."

"Why aren't you appalled?" he asked, still unable to turn his face to hers.

"Because you didn't actually kill him," she told him truthfully. "Even if you had it's not my place to be appalled or not. I'm not innocent, I've killed before and I know that sometimes there are times when it just can't be helped or stopped. It's not my place to be your conscience. If you can live with the fact that his life is ruined now then that's all that matters. You only have yourself to answer to in this life."

All at once Edward's brain replayed what she'd said and he turned to face her. Searching her face for the proof of what he'd just heard he noticed the slight quirk to her lips. "You knew," he barked.

"I did," she grinned. "You get the papers delivered every morning," she told him matter of factly. "They're still being delivered here; you haven't changed your order. It was on page two. Jacob Black was found in his home unconscious, his neck broken and his body covered in bruises. There was no sign of forced entry and there are no suspects. An anonymous call to 911 tipped the police off."

"Motherfucker," Edward hissed. "Why didn't you tell me?" he shouted as he shook her by the shoulders.

"There wasn't any need to. I hoped you'd come to me and tell me at some point yourself," she said, still smiling despite the panic on his face.

"And if I hadn't told you, ever? What then?" he asked.

She shrugged, "Then nothing," she said. "I meant what I said. Only you have to live with the decisions you make."

"Just like that?" he asked as he stared down at her. "I nearly kill a man, have a hand in paralysing him and ruin his mortal life and you don't have an opinion on that?"

"Oh I have an opinion," she barked right back. "I think its fucking ludicrous that you didn't rip his fucking head off and drink every last drop of his putrid, rancid drug addled blood. I think it's a total fucking waste of the health systems time to keep that bastard alive for the next forty years at the taxpayers' expense. Oh, and I think I'd like to kick Emmett's ass for calling you off!"

Edward just stared at her for the longest time. Her eyes were huge and her venom floated across the small distance between them. Her body was tensed and she had crouched just a little, which looked adorable swamped as she was by the size of his suit jacket. "I love you and I can't believe you can still love me after this," was all he could hiss out between his gritted teeth.

"Of course I fucking do," Bella hissed back through hers. "I love you enough to forgive you the sins I would've indulged in myself had I been invited along." Rising onto her toes she launched herself at him and was caught at the waist by his hands. Plunging her tongue into his waiting mouth she groaned as she tasted his venom for the first time in what felt like forever.

They clawed at one another. They pulled hair and their teeth rasped against each other. Bella rubbed herself on his thigh and he rocked himself into hers for friction. They moaned and groaned and ground against one another.

They both wanted and needed more but it was Edward who ultimately cut it short, but not by much. As he pushed her away he had to work hard to make himself remove his hands from her ass and as he stepped back he groaned in pain as the heat between them dissipated. "Wait," he begged as she advanced on him, intending to continue.

"I don't want to wait," she hissed and grabbed at the front of his dress shirt.

"Wait," he begged again, his hands out in front of himself, pushing hers away. "Think, Bella," he insisted. "This is our wedding night. Do you really want to do this here, on the forest floor, and then have to go back to the party filthy and smelling of sex?"

"Fuck yeah," she growled as she stepped closer. "I want you under me, right here," she hissed as she reached for him again.

"Jesus," he groaned at the thought and the image that sprang to the forefront of his mind of just that. "I want that too," he admitted but stepped aside as she lunged. "But I want you in our bed, in our home, more."

It was the way he said it that made her stop her advances. It was the desire in his voice and the surety on his face that told her he was serious. It was the truth he'd just shared with her, despite his fear at how she'd react, that told her that he loved her and he wanted their wedding night to be right.

"Alright," she sighed and stepped back just a little. "Alright."

* * *

**A/N: Bring on the haters!  
I'm predicting a 50/50 even split to the hate mail for this chapter. Half will be aghast that Jake is still alive and half will be pissed that Bella 'took it in stride'.**

**I'm also predicting there will be haters who think Carlisle didn't do enough, or say enough, after the fact. **

**But, they are who they are and I've written them this way because it's who I think they are. Right or wrong it's my opinion. **

**Nearly done now. One more chapter and then an epilogue and I for one will be sorry to see this one done and dusted. I'm going to miss this Eddie. **

**Thank you for reading,**

**Please review. **


	27. Chapter 27

Impeccably dressed once again the newlyweds made their way back into the tent without garnering too much attention. Alice was the only one who noticed any changes and after whisking Bella off for a quick hair and makeup adjustment – during which she admonished her sister for sneaking off 'for a quickie', the bride rejoined her groom inside the tent without too much fuss. Half the gathered vampires were dancing, the other half were in small groups gossiping away happily.

"May I have this dance?" Edward asked smoothly as they came to the edge of the dance floor.

"I'd be honoured," Bella purred as she took his hand.

Bella wasn't surprised that Edward was a wonderful dancer. Everything he did he did with style and grace. His body was fluid in movement and his appreciation for all types of music shone through as he twirled her around and around the floor through song after song.

They were interrupted by Carlisle, who stole the bride away while Edward took Esme into his arms. They danced with their brothers and sisters and Edward even managed to handle one song with each of the Denali sisters, much to Bella's amazement and Carlisle's amusement.

Various pairs slipped from the tent and out into the forest at varying times during the evening but as the clock ticked over midnight they were once again one large group in the tent. Nobody would ever tire and there seemed no good reason to break the party up but the bride and groom were desperate for it all to be over.

Having felt the same themselves at various times the group were amazed that the couple had lasted as long as they had and so it came as no surprise when the groom began to growl and hiss quietly each time his bride was taken into another males arms to dance.

"Might be time to head off?" Jasper asked his brother with a clap to his back on the edge of the dance floor at around two in the morning.

"Definitely," Edward hissed, unable to control the urge.

"Go and collect her and I'll round everyone up so they can say their goodbyes to you both," Jasper told him as he moved towards the largest group.

Sidling up to the edge of the floor Edward waited until Bella and her partner, Garrett if Edward remembered correctly, came twirling past and when they did he cleared his throat to get their attention.

Bowing lowly to Bella Garrett kept her hand in his and led her to where Edward stood with a scowl on his face.

"Your bride," Garrett announced formally as he transferred her hand to his. "Thank you for the dance," he told Bella before turning to face Edward. "I wondered if I might have a moment of your time before you take this lovely creature away for the night?" he asked carefully.

Unable to think what they could possibly have to talk about Edward was about to decline when Bella put her hand on his forearm. "I think you need to hear what he has to say," she whispered to her mate.

"Can it wait until tomorrow?" Edward asked Garrett hopefully.

He noticed the brief 'look' that was shared between his bride and Garrett and knew the answer before it was given. "It could, possibly, but your mate believes it is important enough to need to be discussed this evening," Garrett said firmly.

Edward looked to Bella who looked nervous and excited all at the same time. Bending to kiss her swiftly on her lips Edward buried his nose in her hair and whispered into her ear, "Be ready to leave when we get back."

"I will be," she giggled and let him go. Nodding to Garrett she turned and made her way to the group that was waiting for her.

"You have fifteen minutes," Edward told Garrett, never taking his eyes off Bella's ass as she sashayed further into the tent.

Garrett said nothing. He hoped he'd only need five for what he was about to say, the other ten minutes he could use to get them far enough away from the house should there be any violence. "Let's run," he suggested as they made their way out of the tent and onto the lawn.

"Lead on," Edward said, slightly confused and more than a little pissed off at being lead away from his bride and the promise of what the rest of the night held.

Five minutes at full pace saw them come to the back of Spruce Drive. When Garrett stopped Edward did too and the two of them leaned on the trunk of a tree each in order to have their chat.

"Did you draw the short straw?" Edward chuckled once they were settled.

"I'm sorry?" Garrett asked, confused.

"I figured you were the advance guard," Edward chuckled again. "I thought you were nominated by the bigger group to sound me out. Make sure I don't hurt her, make sure I'm good to her," he shrugged.

Garrett, tilting his head to one side considered that for a second. "That isn't the case at all, but is there a reason someone should ask these things of you?"

Now Edward was totally confused. "Definitely not," he told Garrett truthfully. "I'd never hurt her and I'll do everything I can to make her happy."

"And what about you, will she make you happy, son?" Garrett asked.

The use of the term son made Edward balk slightly but he reasoned that as young a vampire as he was he would probably be called son by all the other males around him for a century or more yet, so he ignored it. "She didn't at first," he chuckled. "She fought me all the way in the beginning, but she's made me happy every minute of every day since I figured her out."

"That you managed to work her out at all is a testament to how right you are for one another," Garrett chortled. "You could make a good deal of coin teaching others," he laughed.

Edward laughed too but he was no closer to figuring out why he was there and why Bella had insisted they speak in private. Glancing down at his father's watch on his wrist Edward was annoyed that they'd already been gone twelve minutes.

"I won't keep you from her much longer," Garrett grinned after seeing Edward's grimace at the time. "Are you happy, son? If you are we'll talk a little, if you aren't just give me two minutes head start."

A head start Edward wondered. If this guy was going to say something to make him angry on his wedding night he had better fucking believe he'd need a hell of a lot longer than a two minute head start. "Spit it out," he hissed at the slightly trembling man. "Whatever it is you need to say just spit it out already."

Garrett nodded firmly just once and just spat it out as requested. "I'm your sire," he said simply and left the statement out there between them without further comment.

Edward cocked his head to one side and just stared at him. He'd heard what had been said but it hadn't quite made its way to the back of his brain and had a chance to bounce back to the front again just yet.

Garrett could see the warring emotions on his sons face and decided to explain while Edward thought over it. "I'm nomadic," he began quietly but firmly. "I come and go here every now and then. The weather's good cover. I'd seen you in Port Angeles a few times before. Thought you were a smart, interesting guy. But you were living the oddest life I'd ever observed," he said truthfully. "You had so much potential and you were wasting it. I thought you might like a chance to make something of yourself. I liked you and I was lonely. I've been on my own for such a long time so I thought I would offer you the change."

Moving away from the tree he was leaning against Garrett began to pace, just as Edward usually did in stressful situations. It gave Edward a chance to see him move, to watch the warring emotions on his face as he told his tale. The details were incredible to Edward, but he knew not to interrupt and he knew there was more.

And more there was. So much more. So much Garrett wanted to tell him. "I watched you at the library. So diligent," he chuckled. "But it was all you had. You just went to work every day and then home again. You never went anywhere else. No friends, no hobbies or anything and I began to wonder why. So I made it my business to find out where you lived and tried to work out why you lived the way you did. But that only threw up more questions. The old fashioned clothing, the ancient car and the lack of a social life seemed so futile to me. I couldn't understand why you wanted to be that way. And then I figured you out," he said with a slight nod of his head. "You replaced your father," he said simply. "You took on his life and ignored your own and I didn't like that. I planned to come and speak with you the next morning you know. I had it all planned. I was going to knock on your front door before you left for work and ask for a moment of your time. I had it all planned in my head how it was going to go. I was going to explain what I was and leave the choice up to you. I really was. I wouldn't ever change someone against their will even though that's exactly what I ended up doing. But I just had this notion in my head that if you stayed there, as you were, you'd waste the gifts god gave you."

"But my mother..." Edward began.

But Garrett held up his hand and Edward ended his sentence there. "I know and I understand that. Your mother was all you had. I know that. I'd seen that. But I knew that if you stayed as you were you'd die there an old lonely man just as I am now. I know you loved her and I know she loved and adored you and yes, changing you would've meant a break in that relationship for a time. But the idea that a man such as yourself could willingly spend your life that way, as empty as it was was abhorrent to me."

"But I was happy," Edward countered. "I liked my life. I was content at the time. Who gave you the right to decide whether or not I was living my life properly?" he hissed. "So what if I seemed boring to you? So what if I didn't have any friends or hobbies? Did I ever seem unhappy to you?" he asked.

"No, you didn't," Garrett said truthfully. "And all of those are very good questions. You didn't look unhappy and you're right, it wasn't my place to decide whether or not you were living your life the right way. And that's why I was going to _offer_ you the change."

"What if I'd said no?" Edward asked.

"Then I'd have left and never bothered you again. I would never have done it against your will if you'd made that choice," Garrett told him truthfully. "I'd never met anyone I thought worthy of the change before. I think I saw someone who could actually benefit from it, I don't know. I'd been changed without consent myself and I couldn't stand the idea of that, but when I came to your house that morning and saw your mother..." he trailed off. He took a deep cleansing breath then and waited a short moment while he rallied his thoughts. "I need to go back a little bit further to explain. As I said I knew where you lived and I had my introduction all planned so I stayed in the area the night before. I didn't know that your mother had been hurt until I smelled her blood on the wind just before dawn. I was too late to save her life. I promise you, if I could've changed her I would've. But she was already gone by the time I got there. Even without her consent. I would've changed her for you. To spare you her loss. I knew how close you were and I knew the pain you'd suffer once you woke to find her dead. I didn't want that for you, I swear. But that was taken out of my hands because she'd already died. So I fed from you and left my venom inside you and went to track the beast that'd killed her."

"But you couldn't find him," Edward sighed.

"No, I couldn't. I'm not a tracker," Garrett admitted with a chuckle, "And his system was full of drugs so his blood scent was weak in places. I lost him not far from the highway. I'd have killed him had I found him, that I can promise you," he told Edward with a nod.

"I've sought my own vengeance for that," Edward muttered darkly.

"You found him?" Garrett asked with a smug smile. His son had succeeded where he'd failed and it gave him an enormous sense of pride.

"A few days ago," Edward admitted. "Complete coincidence though. I had no idea we could track anyone, but you can bet your ass I'll be asking about that for the future," he chuckled.

"And you ended him yourself?" Garrett asked hopefully.

"Not quite," Edward sighed. "A story for another time. Please keep going with yours."

Grateful to be given the chance to explain Garrett continued as requested. "I didn't know why you were unconscious when I found you so I hung back in the trees behind your house just in case someone came looking for you. You were so still. I remember my change and I can tell you that I screamed holy blue murder through it all, but you were totally still. I was so worried. You were too quiet, too still," he mumbled and stared over Edward's shoulder, remembering his fear that he'd done something wrong trying to change him. "I checked on you often; please know that I didn't abandon you. I checked on you to make sure the change was going as it should and even though you were totally silent it was. You took to it so quickly. It was only hours before you smelled of venom almost entirely. I waited as long as I could but I had to leave for just an hour or two to feed myself and when I came back you were gone and so was your mother."

"Why didn't you come find me afterwards?" Edward asked simply.

Garrett had expected the question and had his answer ready. "I've known Carlisle Cullen for two hundred years. He's a good man and I know that he's never killed a human. Ever. He's the only one I know who hasn't. He's the only man I know who could teach you to overcome your thirst so once I worked it out that he'd found you and you'd been introduced to his family I left you to it. I always planned to come back, I swear that to you. But I feed from humans, Edward. It's all I've known in this life and I didn't want that for you. I wanted to give you the best chance possible to be able to live amongst humans later on and I knew that couldn't happen if I raised you. I wanted you to be as the Cullen's were, civilised and humane. I wanted you to live up to your potential and I wanted you to have a chance to be the man I knew you could be. So I left the area and let you get on with it."

"Did Carlisle know?" Edward asked.

"No," Garrett told him truthfully. "No he didn't. He still doesn't. I told Bella just now, I couldn't help myself, but if you wish to tell anyone else that is your decision to make."

Nodding in understanding Edward began to shift on his feet. He didn't know what to say or how to say it. He didn't know what he was feeling or how to express it. It was so much to take in. he'd always wondered what kind of person had changed him, what kind of vampire it was that could do it and leave. He had always wondered what he'd say if he ever got the chance to confront him or her and now that he did he couldn't think of a single thing to say.

So Garrett continued while Edward considered. "When Esme invited me for the wedding I knew I'd made the right choices. I never imagined you'd find a mate but I'm so happy that you have. She's quite lovely and she loves you so much. Carlisle told me about your store and how hard you've worked to make the changes there. Rose told me how well you're doing with your thirst and everyone I've talked to today has told me what a wonderful person you are."

"My thirst," Edward chuckled darkly. "They can say what they like but I've done some horrible things," he muttered.

"We all have," Garrett said simply. "But humans do horrible things too, don't forget."

"They atone for their sins, to whom do I beg forgiveness?" Edward asked flatly.

"From yourself," Garrett stated matter of factly. "You have to live with what you've done, as I do. If you've done things you're ashamed of then you have to make amends for them any way you can. Just as any human would you have to make choices based on the information you have to hand. I made mine and you've made yours. I am lucky to be standing here seeing the outcome of my choices, so I can't regret them. All that remains to be seen is whether or not you'll forgive me for them."

"You want my forgiveness?" Edward asked, shocked to the bone.

"I do," Garrett agreed. "I changed you without your permission even though you had no injury that would've taken your mortal life from you. I did it for no other reason than because I believed you might not have survived the loss of your mother. I didn't want to watch you fade away. I wanted to see you come out into the light and truly live."

Edward didn't need to think too hard on his response. After all his thought processes and his wishing this day would one day present itself there was really only one thing he needed to say. He closed the distance between them and held out his hand. Once Garrett had clasped it Edward put his left hand onto his sire's and patted it carefully. "You don't need my forgiveness," he said sincerely. "But I'll give you my thanks."

Blowing out his held breath in a rush Garrett smiled and bowed his head over their hands. "It's more than I deserve," he said quietly.

Breaking his grip Edward returned to lean against his tree. "When you changed me I woke up in the morgue," Edward said flatly. "I was so confused, I thought I was dead and I was in some sort of limbo between dimensions. I can't say I'm too happy with you about that, but I can understand why you made the decisions you did. You were right to leave me to the Cullen's though. I don't want to hurt people," he admitted as Garrett nodded in understanding. "I like being a vampire. I like the strength I have and I like that I've got options now I didn't have before. But I don't think I'd have coped having to kill humans to survive. So you were right to leave me here with them."

"They've always been good people," Garrett said with real conviction. "I knew that if Carlisle could he'd raise you as he had the others. I knew you'd have a good chance with them."

"I fought him on it a lot," Edward chuckled. "I didn't make it easy for him to help me. For a start I didn't believe him and then once I did I'd already hurt someone else."

"It happens, even to the best of them," Garrett agreed sadly.

"Them?" Edward asked. "You don't count yourself as amongst who you deem to be the best of them?"

Shaking his head Garrett could only tell him the truth. "No, I'm not worthy to be included in the list I'm afraid."

Thinking about that Edward's future began to show like a movie reel in his head. He knew what he had to do now, what he had to say and how to say it.

He finally knew who'd changed him and why. He knew and understood what he was and he was a part of a family who loved him. He had a wife and a mate and he had a business and a life that he'd never have had without the interference of the man who stood before him.

"That's an end to it," Edward announced firmly and meant it. "What's done is done and there's no going back now. I am what I am and I have you to thank for that, so that can be set aside. But there are two things I need from you now," he said to a startled Garrett.

"Name them," the older vampire replied.

"One, I want your promise that Carlisle won't greet the next dawn not knowing who you are and what you did for me."

"Of course," Garrett agreed, more than a little shocked to be given the honour of informing Carlisle. "And the other?"

"I want you to stay near for a while," Edward told a now gaping Garrett. "If it's possible I want you to try to curb your thirst as we do. I'm not sure I have the right to ask that of you, so if I don't I'm sure you'll tell me. I don't know anything about how to go about it, or if it's even possible for someone who has lived as you have, but I would like it if you'll try. I want a chance to know you and for you to get to know me, but that can't happen if you're feeding around here the way you do."

"You want me to stay?" Garrett asked, his body beginning to shake with emotion.

"You said you were lonely," Edward reminded him. "There is no reason for you to be lonely now because I am your son, your family. I have a wife and a mate and we'll be your family. The Cullen's will be your family too. It's what you said you'd been looking for. You did this for me I'd like to give you what it was you'd been seeking. But you can't be here if you feed from humans."

Nodding frantically Garrett agreed. "I'll do it. I swear I'll master it."

Bella was frantic as she waited for them return. She smelled him before she saw him and ran into his arms as he came through the makeshift door of the tent. "I thought you'd never come back," she hissed as she covered his face in kisses. Looking him over from head to toe to make sure they hadn't fought she sighed in relief to see that there wasn't a hair out of place, on either of them.

She'd always liked Garrett but she'd had no idea that he'd changed Edward. She also wasn't sure how her mate was going to take the news. So to see him smiling, and Garrett too, lifted a stifling weight off her shoulders.

Smiling widely Edward kissed her hard on the lips and set her back on her feet. "Sorry we took so long," he told her. "A bit to discuss as you know," he chuckled. "Let's go say our goodbyes so I can ravish you."

Biting her bottom lip Bella could only nod. If he didn't want to talk about it now that was fine with her. There would be time enough to hash it all out later. But for now she wanted what he was offering. Her venom was already flowing simply because of the glint in his eye as he'd said the word ravish.

The goodbyes were hasty and done with more than a little impatience but nobody was surprised. They were hugged and kissed, wished well and teased mercilessly for their eagerness to leave, but leave they did. With one last thank you to Carlisle and then to Garrett, Edward took his bride home.

The run home was sedate by their usual standards but that was because Bella was wearing a wedding dress and heels. With the door only just shut behind them Edward grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to his body. He swooped down and had his lips buried in her throat before she could get the first moan from between her own lips.

Sliding his hands up and down the expanse of her back Edward began to moan softly against her flesh. His head was a whirlwind of information but all he wanted to concentrate on right then was the feel of his wife in his arms. Shoving everything else to the recesses of his mind he nipped at her collarbone with his teeth. Groaning loudly at her moan he did it again and had to consciously remind himself not to shred her dress as she whined deep in her throat for more.

"Take the pins from your hair," he instructed before returning his lips to the hollow at the base of her throat. He had a plan. He'd thought this through. He knew what he wanted from her and how to get it.

With her arms above her head her breasts raised of their own accord and Edward couldn't help the moan he let escape from between his lips as he licked and sucked the swell of them as the pins hit the floor with soft plinking sounds. "If you want to keep this dress I suggest you say so now," Edward hissed as she lowered her arms and plunged her fingers into his hair.

"I'll keep the pieces," she hissed herself as he returned his lips to her throat.

"Fuck," was all he could say in reply. That she was willing to sacrifice the beauty of her gown for his pleasure hit him in the chest like a hammer and ramped up his desire higher than he thought possible. Letting her ass go he smoothed the sides of it over her ribs. Never allowing his lips to leave her throat he located the side seams with his nails. He slit each side as carefully as he could along the stitching and as her flesh became exposed to his fingers he moaned once again into her ear. "You taste so damn good," he mumbled against her. "Your skin is like silk under my fingers," he told her as he stroked the softness beneath each of her arms. He allowed his fingers to slip inside the gown further. The edge of her bra was lacy, as he'd remembered from their time in the forest, which made him impossibly hotter for her. The surprise might have removed from her bridal lingerie, but knowing what he was going to see once he got her out of the gown made his anticipation reach an impossible height. Swiping his tongue across the shell of her ear he purred and closed his eyes tight when she shivered. "You're mine," he huffed into her ear and felt her nod. "Say it," he demanded when she stayed silent.

Clenching her fingers in his hair and throwing her head back she gave him what he needed. "I'm yours, only yours," she agreed, breathlessly.

Biting down gently on the lobe Edward savoured the words. She was his in every way possible. Swiping his tongue across it he waited for her to shiver again before speaking lowly. "Your throat is mine," he rasped before biting at her a little. Travelling down to her collarbone he nipped her again and smelled the rush of her arousal as he did so. "Your flesh will only ever feel the sting of _my_ venom," he hissed as he lowered his mouth to the swell of her left breast, above the edge of her gown.

"Yesss," she agreed mindlessly.

Using his hands he pushed her breasts together and buried his nose in the top of her cleavage. "Nobody will ever see these again but me," he told her firmly before licking his way across the uppermost curve of one, and then turning his mouth to repeat the movement on the other. Releasing her breasts he returned his fingers to the ruined seams at her sides and slit them further. He stopped at each hip and slid his hands inside, cupping both of the globes of her firm, ripe ass. Pulling her roughly towards himself he made sure she could feel how hard he was. "My hands will be the last that touch you this way," he assured her as he nipped at the underside of her chin.

"No other," Bella agreed, closing her eyes. His intentions were clear. He was to claim her all over again now that they were married and she was impatient for him to do it.

Running a line of kisses across her face and down the left side of her throat he paused only for a second at the point of her shoulder before using his teeth to slice through the delicate fabric there. She whimpered deliciously as the two halves of the bodice on that side slid down her chest and back and again when he shifted his attentions to the other shoulder. With the gown pooled above his hands at her back and bunched between them at their chests Edward shifted just enough to be able to gaze downward. "You are perfection," he told her as he stared. "Perfection and mine," he told her with a possessive hiss, as though she needed constant reminding. He knew if he released the hold he had on her the dress would slip from her body and pool at her feet but he had to work hard to make himself move away enough for that to happen. Gazing downward he took her in. The gentle curve of her hip tantalized him, the flat expanse of her belly mesmerised him and the soft, breathy pants she allowed to escape between her lips taunted him.

Removing just one hand from her ass – and hating having to even do that – he slit the knot on his tie with it and pulled the remains from around his neck in one swift movement. He didn't bother thinking about whether he wanted to keep anything he was wearing; he simply shredded his shirt and threw it to the floor with one hand. He dug his nails into her ass as he planted one hand there and destroyed the metal clasp on his belt with the other. The loud snap and then the rasp of it as it was ejected from the loops of his dress pants made Bella moan and buck her hips towards him in desperation.

"Soon," he soothed her as he lowered his lips to hers. Delving his tongue deep inside her mouth he lapped at her venom hungrily. He returned his hand to the small of her back and held her tightly to his chest. The warmth of their bodies melded and made them both pant into one another's mouths as they kissed. Slipping his tongue from the clutches of hers he trailed another heated line of kisses across her cheek and licked the lobe of her ear once again. "Your venom is mine," he insisted as she nodded her agreement. "No other shall taste it," he told her as she whimpered. "Say it," he begged.

"No other," she agreed readily.

Slicing through the clasp at the back of her bra he took his time slipping it from each of her shoulders in turn. Tossing it aside he spared just a moment to take in the beauty of her exposed breasts before doing as he'd done the day they'd declared themselves. He sank to his knees and took as much of her right breast into his mouth as he could. Her cry of shock and pleasure increased in depth as he took the neglected breast into his other hand.

Bella watched as he loved each nipple in turn. With his eyes closed and his beautiful long lashes resting on his cheeks he looked angelic, perfect. Throwing her head back when he bit down she keened as his venom ignited with the fire she'd been hoping for. "Yesss," she hissed as he transferred his teeth to her other nipple. "Yesss," she cried out again as he flicked his tongue and his venom across it.

"My venom will never touch another," he vowed to her, eyes still closed, each hand still in possession of her breasts. "I'll never bite another this way," he told her before closing his lips around her again.

The ripples of an ache for release began in the pit of her stomach. Her entire body pitched and swayed as she tried to force her sex to reach for more of it. Her thighs clenched with the need for friction and as they did so Edward was treated to a release of her pungent scent directly into his mouth and nose. Knowing her body as well as he did he desperately wanted for her to reach the peak she craved with his touch alone.

Tightening his lips around one breast and with one hand around the small of her back he slid his free hand down her belly and into the minute lace triangle that covered her sex. As he bit down on her nipple he flicked his middle finger just once across her clit and felt her first shudder.

The fire overtook her so swiftly her knees buckled, but Edward held her firmly to him with the hand at her back. Releasing her nipple as she began to spasm he grinned against her chest. "That's it," he crooned, "give it to me. Its mine, all mine." He held her there until her clitoris ceased its quivering and once it had he got back to his feet and scooped her up, bridal style.

He hadn't carried her over the threshold to the house because he'd been so desperate to just get inside, but now he carried his bride over the threshold of their bedroom with pride. Laying her in the very centre of their bed he told her how much he loved her as he removed his trousers, his socks and then his boxer shorts. And then he stalked up her body on his hands and knees. Kissing her roughly on her swollen lips he thanked her for marrying him and for loving him the way she did. He allowed her to echo the sentiment and as soon as the words had died on her lips he took them for himself.

As he slid his tongue across her bottom lip and then between them he slid his hand up the creamy expanse of her stocking covered thigh. When she bit down on his tongue he slit the tiny cord of her thong and ran his index finger up between her swollen lips. When she moaned into his open mouth he swiped a little of her wetness higher and stroked it over the pulsing nub of her clit. When she groaned and shuddered beneath him he suckled her tongue and pinched the bud between his thumb and finger.

Arching her back Bella cried out and clawed at him with her nails. She couldn't beg for more because his lips and tongue were relentless. She couldn't pull his hardness towards herself because he held himself above her. All she could do was accept the pace he set and it made her all the more desperate for him.

"You'll only ever come for me," he hissed against her parted and panting lips as he circled her entrance with the tip of his finger. "I'm going to make you come now," he taunted her both verbally and with that finger. "I'm going to make you come and you're going to tell me every single thought and feeling you have until you can't speak for shuddering," he rasped against her cheek as he delved just the very tip of his finger inside her.

"Please," she managed to beg while his lips were missing from hers.

Allowing her to continue bucking he let her divine how quickly or how slowly she'd achieve her release. He kept his hand totally still while his lips worked the flesh at the base of her throat. She lifted and lowered her hips in a steady rhythm, taking his finger deeper and deeper inside herself with each movement. Her juices now coated his finger and slid down it into his palm and he could barely contain the desire to taste them as she squirmed. "That's it," he crooned into her neck. "Reach for it," he demanded. Squaring her feet at the ankles on the mattress, using her elbow to brace herself, she pushed her body into a higher arc and tried to gain more friction, but it was futile.

"It's not enough," she keened between gritted teeth.

"Because you haven't told me what you want," he admonished, loving the power he held over her right then. He didn't want to give her her orgasm; he wanted her to take it from him. "Tell me," he demanded through gritted teeth himself.

"More," she begged as she bucked. "I need you deeper," she implored him.

"Like this," he hissed as he flexed his finger, straightening it out to its full length and plunging it inside her to his knuckle.

"No!" she bellowed. "More, I need more," she screamed. "Please, oh please," she begged.

"Like this," he groaned as he sank another inside her warm depths. "Is this what you need?" he asked as she arched and shuddered. He knew it was what she needed because he knew her body so well, but he needed to hear it from her own lips. "Tell me what you feel," he demanded.

"Hot," she moaned. "Don't stop," she begged. "I feel hot and full and, oh yes, there..." she trailed off. Knowing he wouldn't allow her the fulfilment of release if she became silent she closed her eyes and swallowed her nerves. "Curl them upwards," she instructed and began to mewl softly as he did as he was bid. "Slow down a little but separate them," she coached.

"That's it baby," he crooned as he suckled more of her flesh into his mouth at her throat. Doing as he was asked he slowed the pace of the stroke but separated his fingers a little, widening them to what he thought would best imitate the width of his cock. "Is this what you need?" he asked against her chin before nipping her lightly.

"Close," she moaned, clawing at his biceps with her nails. "I'm so close. I can feel it building," she sobbed. "Its right there...do you feel me shuddering from the inside," she asked but didn't wait for his answer. "Bite me," she begged, "Please bite me and let me fall, please."

"I'd give you anything," he hissed as he pressed the ball of his thumb directly over her clit and bit down on her throat. Her resultant shudder, and its matching scream, made his balls clench so tightly he too cried out. "Beautiful," he whispered as she orgasmed on his hand. "Perfect," he crooned as she lowered herself back to the bed and smoothed her fingers across his arm where she'd been gripping him so tightly as she'd climaxed.

Little ripples of fire danced their way through her body as she came back down from the intensity of the release. Her limbs felt limp, her brain flooded with the euphoria that was her mate and husband.

He didn't allow her long to recover from the mighty orgasm. A few seconds at best from when the last of her shivers subsided. Rolling away and coming to his knees beside her he made sure she was looking right at him before he licked his fingers and the palm of his hand clean. Laced with the essence of her venom her juices were luscious and delicious. Her eyes were wide once he had the presence of mind to search them out. So lost was he in the taste of her, the scent of her on his hand and hanging in the air, that it took him a few seconds to fully comprehend the look on her face.

"I can't help it," he grinned down at her. "You taste so fucking good," he said as he slid back down the length of her body. "I crave your taste," he told her as he kissed his way up her chest. "Your venom makes me so hard, but that...the taste of your desire...ahh, Bella, there's nothing else like it." Kissing her, making sure she could taste herself from his lips and tongue, he slid lower until he was positioned right at her entrance. Breaking the brief kiss he waited until she opened her eyes before speaking very lowly. "Wrap your legs around me," he instructed. "I want your hands in my hair. I want your lips and tongue on my throat and when you're ready to come for me again I want you to bite me, Bella."

She'd never bitten him before, despite how much he wanted to feel her teeth against his skin. He'd never asked her to. She'd never asked if he needed it and that's just the way he'd wanted it. On their wedding night he wanted her to claim him for herself. He wanted the first time his mate sank her teeth into his skin to be on their wedding night. Her nails always scored him but he wanted to feel the sting of her venom over and above all else. And he wanted to feel it that night.

"Bella?" he prompted when he realised she hadn't responded.

"You want me to bite you?" she asked, breathlessly. Smiling widely Edward nodded that he did. "You've never wanted that before."

"I did," he admitted. "But I wanted to wait til now," he told her.

"Later, after, you'll tell me why," she said fiercely behind her smile.

He nodded just once and then grinned down at her again. "I'll have you now, wife," he said slowly, watching the fire reignite in her eyes.

Her cry as he plunged himself into her made the doors in the hall shake. His guttural roar as he sheathed himself inside her fully echoed three times around the small house before it wore itself out.

The familiar feeling of heat and desperation rose inside her quickly as he began to stroke. Each buck of his hips drove her onwards toward the prize. The groan of the headboard mixed with their own grunts and moans to build to a cacophony of sound as they each strived for the ultimate pleasure they could only find in one another.

With fists clenched into the sheet at either side of her head Edward dipped forwards and exposed his throat to her lips and tongue. His long drawn out hiss as she licked and suckled his flesh excited her further and made her draw her nails across his shoulders, sinking them deeper into his flesh. His breath in her ear drove her onwards; his mumbled assurances that he loved her, wanted her and needed her gave her the confidence to give him freely his request.

"I need you to come for me," he begged, panting loudly into her ear. "I need to come inside you so badly," he muttered through gritted teeth. "Oh god, Bella, you feel so..." he trailed off, lost in sensation and emotion.

Bella, sensing his loss of control arched her back and allowed him to go as deep as he could. "So good," she whispered into his ear as she clawed at him.

"I can't..." he moaned hoarsely as he worshipped her throat with his lips. "You feel too good...I can't help it...I need you to, you have to..."

His admittance that his own orgasm was being held off for hers made her body clench and her sex spasm until she was in the throes of yet another blinding climax herself. Knowing he was waiting for her, knowing he needed her to come for him before he'd accept his own pleasure did her in. Begging her to bite him before it was too late she flexed her jaw as soon as he had risen far enough away from her mouth and sank her teeth deep into the hollow between his neck and shoulder.

His guttural roar spiked inside her brain and she swiped her venom laden tongue across the bite. His climax began immediately and his entire body began to tremor as he poured himself deep into her.

"Mine, mine, mine," he chanted involuntarily as his climax rocketed through his body and mind. "Mine, mine, mine," he moaned into the softness of her throat as the sting of her delicious venom worked its way into his system. "Mine, mine, mine, forever," he whispered as his hips made their final undulations against her.

"Forever," she agreed as she clutched him to herself fiercely.

Fate, Destiny and Karma had decided to have a sleep over that night to watch the happy couple leap the last hurdle of their union. As Edward stroked his fingers along the swollen, well loved lips of his beloved and whispered to her all the reasons that he loved her Karma lit a cigarette and passed it along the line to Fate. Destiny declined the offer to share when it was made and instead leaned back and took a long draw from her champagne. "We did good, fellas," she trilled as she raised her glass, "We did real good on this one."

* * *

**A/N: This is the last full length chapter to this story. An epilogue (already written) will be up and ready to go in a day or so. **

**Thank you so much for reading, and if you can see your way clear to leaving me your thoughts it would be most appreciated. **

**Please review. **


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: And so we come to the epilogue. **

**Thank you, as ever, to Jen for her assistance and her continued encouragement and support. **

**And thank you to all the lovely readers out there who've reviewed so diligently through this one. **

**I'm going to miss this Edward, and of course Eddie as well. **

* * *

The party at the Cullen house raged on until dawn the night of the wedding. The music was lowered after the newlyweds took their leave but the dancing continued on until sun made its appearance.

Garrett hung on the fringes of the group as it disbanded and watched the already established couples make their own farewells. They'd run off into the forest and return in dribs and drabs as the day progressed but he knew and understood why they were leaving.

He'd craved what he saw around him for so long. Centuries if he was honest with himself, and he thought that it might just possibly be time to admit that he did.

He wanted a mate. A lover at the very least. He wanted company and roots and a place to lay his head at night. He wanted someone to talk to and to share with.

He wanted what his son had.

He wanted what the Cullen's had.

"Are you staying on?" Carlisle asked with a clap to his back.

Garrett hadn't noticed Carlisle's approach and startled at the contact. "I've been asked to," he told Carlisle truthfully.

"I saw you run off with Edward," Carlisle said quietly. "He's a very nice man; he'd be a good friend for you."

"He's asked me to speak with you, if you have the time that is," Garrett hedged, suddenly nervous.

"Does it need to be now?" Carlisle asked thinking about all the guests he'd yet to catch up with.

"It does I'm afraid, I've given my word."

"Sounds important," Carlisle said. "Will it require privacy?"

Nodding just once Garrett motioned towards the forest and at Carlisle's nod of reply they took off back into the woods. They didn't go far, just far enough not to be overheard. Garrett wasted no time with vagaries this time and dived right in to the meat of the matter. "I sired Edward," he announced matter of factly. "I'd watched him for some time and was going to offer him the change when fate stepped in."

Surprised and more than a little shocked Carlisle stared at his long time friend, his mouth hanging open. "You?" he asked finally.

"Me," Garrett admitted. "His mother had already passed on, I assure you. But when I saw the boy laying there I..." he trailed off, unable to articulate his thought processes a second time.

"You took matters into your own hands," Carlisle sighed.

"I did. Right or wrong I did. He was wasting away in that house as he was. He's so smart and his mother was smothering him. I wanted a companion and I liked him. It's the only excuse I have. I liked the boy. He was so lonely and worked hard, he had so much potential and he was just the kind of person I was looking for to have as a friend."

"But you left him there in the throes of his change," Carlisle berated through gritted teeth. "He woke frightened and confused in the morgue!" he raged. "He'd have cut a swath through my hospital had I not worked out who and what he was in time!"

"But he didn't," Garrett countered calmly. "And I didn't abandon him. I stayed to keep watch the whole time through his transition. I left only for an hour or two to feed and when I came back he was gone. I left the area only once I knew for sure you'd found him."

"Why didn't you make it known to us what you'd done? Why not come to me and tell me? Why keep it from Edward himself?"

"Because I couldn't teach him to be anything other than what I am myself," Garrett said softly, so ashamed of the way he'd conducted his life up until that point.

Closing his eyes and doing his best to calm down Carlisle felt intensely protective of his newest son and he saw that bond slipping away now that his true sire had made himself known. The thought was a selfish one and Carlisle shook it off fast.

Thinking back on how hard Edward had fought his new nature Carlisle shook his head and began to chuckle at his own vanity and selfishness. "Do you know what I think?" he asked of his old friend who shook his head at the question, "I think nothing and nobody could've shaped Edward into anything he didn't want to be." Clapping Garrett on the shoulder Carlisle chuckled again. "That boy took his own life affairs into his own hands the instant he rose as one of us, old man. He didn't learn a damn thing from me. It was all Bella. Everything. She taught him to hunt and to accept what he was. She taught him to temper his aggression when he needed to and she showed him how to function inside a family and as a mate. Don't beat yourself up about your nature, Garrett. That boy would've found his own way no matter which of us took him in."

"Did you throw them together?" Garrett asked with a smirk.

"Possibly," Carlisle caged. "Worked out just fine," he laughed.

"Seems like it did," Garrett conceded. "He's asked me to stay on, to get to know him. Do you think I should?" Garrett asked out of the blue, making Carlisle balk.

"That depends on what you hope to get out of the relationship," Carlisle mused. "If you hope to draw him away from us to have as your sole companion I must tell you that you will find that impossible."

"No!" Garrett bellowed into the trees. "No, I'd never do that. He has a mate," he shouted, aghast at the suggestion. "He wants us to get to know one another, that's all, and I'm grateful that he does. I wouldn't ever try to ruin what he has here with you all. And that includes the bond he has with you as head of this coven. He's said that we are family, that he and Bella are my family now. He wants me to learn from him," he said softly and reverently.

Smirking and nodding proudly at the intelligence of his son Carlisle clapped Garrett on the back once more. "Well there you have it," he told his friend. "Get to know our son. Get to know his bride. Perhaps a concerted effort to curb your thirst might be something the two of you could focus on together. And who knows, perhaps family life might agree with you."

Garrett had thought the exact same thing but didn't give it a voice.

The music from the tent was still playing, and there were still couples dancing as Carlisle and Garrett slipped back in after their discussion. Thanking Carlisle for his time Garrett headed straight towards the group of women gossiping at the far end.

They'd rearranged the seating from the ceremony into a rough circular shape and were all facing inwards discussing the 'delectable' Edward Cullen. Clearing his throat as he approached made every one of the women stop speaking. Bowing lowly to the entire group Garrett introduced himself to the group as a whole and then specifically to the woman he'd been watching all evening.

"Would you care to dance?" he asked regally with another slight bow of his head.

After coming to her feet she positively purred her reply into his ear after leaning towards him and running her hand up and down his chest flirtatiously, "I'd love to. Oh, how proper you are, you naughty boy."

Gripping her hand and removing it from his chest he turned it, palm up, and then kissed the inside of her wrist. "Turn it down a notch or two, Blondie, you had me at the purrrrrr," he simpered in a perfect imitation of her voice.

Kate was appalled. She'd never been so insulted. To be called Blondie was downright offensive and to be mimicked so humiliatingly in front of her sisters was just...well it was just. As she thought on it she found that it was actually very exciting. She loved a forceful man. She especially loved one who had a sense of humour and who would stand up to her. She loathed weak men. And this one looked strong, very strong. She allowed the smirk to form on her lips slowly and watched the sparkle in his eyes glimmer as the smile grew. "Well then mister tall, dark and unshaven," she sneered, "are you too proper for a forest floor fuck on a first date?"

Not entirely shocked but highly aroused by her forwardness Garrett bowed again. Rising just enough to stare at her through his lashes he returned her grin. "I'll agree on one condition, Blondie," he sniggered. "If you wish to bed me you'll have to fight for it. I don't do bottoms so if you want to ride me you'll have to fight for the right."

Staring down at him and wondering why she'd never laid eyes on such a beautiful specimen before Kate raised her eyebrows at the name he continued to use for her and the impertinence of the man wishing to strike a deal with her for sex. It had never occurred in centuries. She was always the one to set the tone and to make any rules. But this, this she could get used to. It would certainly break the monotony of her existence to date.

Throwing her open mouthed sisters a wink she returned her gaze to Garrett but addressed the women, "I've been issued a challenge ladies. Don't wait up," she told them and nodded formally at the man who was still bent at the waist before her.

Sweeping his hand across his knees Garrett grinned wider, "Lead on, Blondie," he told her.

Heartstrings opened as planned the day after the wedding.

Lyra and Bella opened on time and were amazed at the influx of customers that were already lined up outside before the set down opening time. Edward, disappointed not to be able to attend himself, kept an open link via Skype the whole time and enjoyed watching his wife flit around and assist customers in between skipping back to the counter to have hushed conversations with him.

They took more in sales that first day of trade than the store had taken for the entire previous month. Immensely proud of himself, and of Bella, Edward accepted the praise of his family and employees as humbly as he could manage.

The store went from strength to strength after that first day and by the end of its first month after renovation it had a steady clientele and a list of backorders for music and books that would keep the old Eddie happily searching ancient catalogues for months to come.

The newest Mrs Cullen slid easily into her new roles. During the daylight hours she devoted half her time to the store and some of the rest to getting to know her mates sire. The trio spent an hour or so together almost every afternoon at the Masen house just 'hanging out' as Emmett liked to call it. The newlyweds asked thousands of questions about his early life and were both fascinated by the existence he'd led as a nomad. In return he asked them thousands of questions about modern America and modern technology.

It was disconcerting at first that the trio was joined so often by Kate but once the initial awkwardness wore off – and Kate came to understand better about what possessiveness for ones mate was truly about – she became if not a much loved, then at least a much liked member of the small family.

Over the months Garrett came to see for himself the quirkiness that had been Eddie Masen Junior in the new Edward Cullen. The teeth brushing gave him endless hours of hilarity as did his sons penchant for having things neat and tidy in his home. Garrett loved nothing more than to remove some random item and place it in a completely arbitrary position within the house. It drove Edward to distraction, which of course was the main draw for Garrett.

Leather bound books found their way into the unused dishwasher and keys found their way into the drawers in the bathroom. An alarm clock was found in one of his shoes and his boxer shorts were often flying like a flag from the front door knob. Garrett loved to scour the local thrift stores and bought up as many pairs of plain black framed glasses as he could find.

Almost every morning for weeks on end Edward could be heard cursing his sire as he slid yet another random pair of prescription glasses onto his nose. He always found his own glasses on top of the mantle in the living room, but he always panicked just a little whenever his vision was blurry before he realised he'd been duped once again.

But Garrett's most favoured of all pranks completely revolved around Edward's piano.

Many an afternoon Bella spent watching the two men wrestling in the backyard because Garrett had switched the wires on a half dozen keys. He'd erased random notes on Edward's sheet music and then sat back and laughed his head off as Edward attempted to play it. He'd slid torn pieces of cardboard under one end of the piano itself so that Edward had to play at an angle and he'd used pillows stuffed into the body of it to produce a truly awful muffled sound too.

Just when Edward hoped that there could be nothing more that his sire could do to his beloved upright he'd surprise them all with something else and the fight would be on again.

Loving to run as much as the mated pair did the trio spent hours exploring the forest that surrounded Forks and even further afield. Edward was still the fastest and it pleased him no end that it frustrated the hell out of Garrett that he couldn't be caught.

They hunted as a trio too, and as a foursome when Kate was in attendance, and they all did everything they could to help Garrett conquer his craving for the human blood he'd consumed for more than two centuries. He hadn't slipped once since taking up permanent residence on the third floor of the Cullen house, but he had come close once or twice in the months since the wedding. Edward and Bella were always there to talk him down and he appreciated it greatly.

Edward still fainted on the hunt now and then. He'd warned his sire but Garrett had still panicked the first time he'd seen it happen for himself. Edward had felt bad for the anguish he'd caused after he'd come around but Bella had seen their bond grow tighter since that first time.

Edward on the other hand went from strength to strength and by the time he'd been a married man for a mere four months he was able to meet with his staff for the first time without fear of hurting them. He was able to move amongst humans without issue and he was proud that he'd not had any inclination to 'slip' since the night at Jacob's house.

Early every evening, without fail, a gathering was had at the Cullen house. Edward and Bella would attend at sundown and the others would come downstairs and into the living room too. Some nights they were quiet and simply read or listened to music as a group. Some nights they watched a movie and some nights they played board games. But anyone who wished to have a leave pass from the gatherings needed a very, very good reason. By the end of Edward's first year as a vampire nobody had been granted such a pass.

At eleven each evening, like clockwork, the social part of the evening was deemed over and each pair made their way to their own suites. If Kate was visiting she joined Garrett in Edward's old room high up in the house and if she wasn't Garrett did as Bella had done for so many years and tried to lose himself in very, very loud music played through modern ear bud headphones.

Edward and Bella would run to their own home and lose themselves in one another's bodies. The sting of electricity when they touched was still there, even a year on from the Declaration of Dependence and both of them hoped it always would be.

When Garrett and Kate announced their engagement at Edward and Bella's second anniversary celebrations Alice and Esme planned and hosted another simple ceremony on the lawn at the Cullen house.

Bella and Edward were once again separated for hours during the daytime to help with the preparations. For three days they hardly saw one another as each of them was dragged away by either the bride or the groom to attend to their various duties. Edward was standing up for Garrett and Bella was standing in at rehearsals and fittings for Tanya, who had drawn the short straw and was remaining behind in Alaska until the very last moment to man the sisters various businesses.

A larger group gathered this time as all of Kate and Garrett's friends and acquaintances came to wish them well for their happy day. When Jasper as the master of ceremonies announced that the newlyweds would be taking the floor for their first dance as husband and wife it was Bella who insisted that Edward run with her into the forest this time.

Hoping he was about to make up for the lost time with his mate he ran with a smile on his face and whistled over his shoulder as he twisted and turned his way through the trees. It wasn't often that they got the chance to run as just the two of them and Edward was determined to enjoy it. So it was disappointing when Bella whistled for him to stop so soon into the run.

Finding her by a large rock when he doubled back he figured they were far enough away from the house to not be heard so he attempted to pounce on her delectable body the instant he got to within a few feet of her.

Bella allowed him to kiss her just once and then shoved him away. "I need to tell you something," she said softly to a startled Edward.

The way she'd said it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Licking his lips to get rid of his anticipatory venom he eyed her carefully. He sniffed as subtly as he could but smelled nothing untoward. She carried only his scent and those of the other guests gathered. Her eyes were as topaz as they'd always been and she looked no different to him than she always had. "Alright," he said eventually and settled his backside against the rock she'd paused beside.

Mimicking his pacing almost exactly Edward began to worry as he watched her normally serene features twist while she thought what to say. She couldn't quite meet his eyes as she began and his fear made him shake even before she spoke.

"I went to Port Angeles yesterday to collect Kate's wedding gift for Garrett," she said flatly. He'd known she'd gone there and what for so said nothing in reply. "It was a painting," she said matter of factly though Edward could care less what she'd collected by this point. "The Port Angeles Fine Art Centre is on East Lauridsen Boulevard and next-door is the Crestwood Convalescent Centre."

"Alright," Edward said, confused.

"There were two nurses eating lunch under the trees at the Art Centre when I came out," she sighed before running a hand through her hair just as he did himself when under stress.

"Please, Bella, just tell me what this is about. You're scaring me," he begged.

Biting her bottom lip for a second Bella eventually nodded and continued. "They were talking about Jacob Black and what a waste of a life he was. One of them was saying she had to bathe him every day, Edward. The other one had to spoon feed him three times a day," she all but sobbed. "He's never moved an inch since that night. He's never uttered a sound and he's totally dependent," she said with fire in her eyes.

"I told you what we'd done," Edward told her sadly. "You knew that's what we'd done to him."

"I know," she growled and waved her hand at him. For what reason Edward couldn't fathom. "I went back, last night, while everyone was here for the hen night. I snuck in through a service entrance and waited until the nurses had turned the lights out for the night and then I killed him."

"But your eyes..." Edward began but Bella held up her hand to get him to stop and he did.

"I didn't drink from him," she barked. "I couldn't have. He was evil, Edward. I didn't want any part of him inside of me," she shuddered as she said it and so did Edward at the thought. "I smothered him," she admitted. "I told him who I was and that I was married to you. I told him that he'd been a drain on other people for long enough and that I was going to kill him to put him out of _their_ misery, not his. I smothered him with his own pillow."

"Alright," Edward sighed when she'd finished. "Thank you for telling me."

"That's it?" she railed. "That's all you've got to say on it?"

"No, that's not all I've got to say on it," he told her as he came to his feet from his perch on the rock. Taking her into his arms he held her for a moment and then pulled back so that he could look her in the eye. "Thank you," he told her sincerely and then kissed her, hard.

This time when they made their way back into the tent Bella's dress was torn at the hem and Edward had lost two of the buttons from his dress shirt. Bella had twigs in her hair and Edward wore a grin so wide for the rest of the evening that nobody dared hang shit on them for their very obvious romp in the woods.

They'd missed their own first dance as husband and wife because Edward had needed to confess his sins to his mate. They'd missed his sire's first dance as a married man while Bella confessed her sins to her husband.

Bowing low at the waist as Garrett had taught him Edward stared up at his wife through his copper tinged lashes. "May I have this dance?" he asked, holding his hand out for her.

"I'd be honoured," Bella told him, smiling just as widely as he was.

This time the party lasted for two whole days.

* * *

**A/N: I will be posting a little something in the next day or so that relates to this story, though quite vaguely. **

**The delectable Garrett has struck a chord with many readers and I was asked to twist a little tale built specifically around Edward and his sire. **

**I won't say any more than that here, a full explanation (and a warning for those of a sensitive nature) will be added as a foreword, so keep an eye out for it if you like that sort of thing. **

**If you don't just know that it's very, very naughty. **

**Thank you all, again, for reading. **

**Love and best wishes to you and yours, **

**maxi**

**xxx**

**Please review and get this sucker to its 1000 :)**


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